The wooden two masted scow-brig was built in Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1864 by Charles Huntley. The vessel was rated B2 and valued at $4,500 by the Phoenix register.
On the morning of April 19, 1878, the steamer John A. Dix collided with the scow brig Express in midlake in a heavy fog. After the Dix struck the Express on the port bow, the two vessels separated and in the dense fog, lost contact with each other. After searching for an hour, the Dix headed for Milwaukee, never knowing the other vessel's identity. Meanwhile, the Express, bound for Monistique, was leaking badly and in about an hour and a half sank roughly 35 miles off the west shore of Lake Michigan. The crew successfully abandoned the sinking vessel and landed in their small boat at Amsterdam on the afternoon of April 19, 1878.