Built in 1890 at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, the Sidney O. Neff was a lumber hooker. "Lumber hookers" were ships that stopped at camps or small ports with no docking facilities. The ships were held in place by their anchors, or "hooks." The Sidney O. Neff sank in Menominee Harbor, Michigan in June 1940. She was one of the last wooden ships on the Great Lakes.