The wooden steam tugboat John Evenson was built for and by the vessel's namesake John Evenson in Milwaukee in 1884. During this time, the tug engaged in towing and fishing around the Milwaukee harbor. Mr. Evenson sold the tug to George Spear who moved the tug to work the lumber trade by towing log rafts. The John Evenson would be engaged in towing throughout the region, towing vessels through the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, as a wrecking tug, and towing barges loaded with stone. Early in its career in Sturgeon Bay, it was debated to send the Evenson up Green Bay to Gladstone, Michigan to tow vessels going in and out of Little Bay de Noc. Business picked up and there was plenty of work for the Evenson in Sturgeon Bay and the tug never left. On 25 October 1887, the John Evenson in addition to the tugs Spalding and the Nelson to attempt to pull the stranded schooner Frank D. Barker off a reef near Spider Island in Door County. In November of 1887 the John Evenson raced the tugboat John Leathem two miles and Evenson's Captain John Walker would state that the two boats are evenly matched that there was no difference. At the end of the season in Sturgeon Bay, the John Evenson would return to Milwaukee for winter quarters.


Throughout this period of the John Evenson's career, there were many attempts to sell the tug. In 1890 Sturgeon Bay local Bernard Hahn was though to have purchased the tug, but he actually decided against it. Regardless in May 1890 the Evenson returned for service in Sturgeon Bay. Later in June a lawyer representing the heirs of John Evenson tried to sue Bernard Hahn saying that they did purchase the tug and after the tug was repaired and ready for business, Bernard did not return for the tug. It was believed that the suit was a bluff and they had no claim against Mr. Hahn. Afterwards the Evenson was sold to George O. Spear of Sturgeon Bay, where the tug continued towing and hauling lumber. In July the John Evenson received a new wheel and minor repairs in Manitowoc. On 14 August 1890, the tug was towing the schooner Surprise through the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, when nearing the bridge, the tug crew began shortening the tow line. As the the Surprise was heavily loaded, the schooner took a sudden turn to port and the vessels masts and rigging ran into the bridge, tearing away part of the railing. The Evenson attempted to back up and the fantail of the tug drove into the side of the schooner, further damaging it. The schooner was quickly pulled aside and placed along the wharf where temporary repairs could be made. In October 1890 the John Evenson was sold to John Laurie with is brother Alex Laurie in Command. After a busy season, the tug would then go into winter quarters in Sturgeon Bay.


After purchase by John Laurie, the John Evenson would be used to haul barges or scows filled with stone from their quarries on the north shore of Green Bay, traveling as far down the coast as Waukegan, Illinois. On 22 October 1891, the John Evenson was towing a scow full of stone when a heavy wind blew up and the towline parted and the scow went ashore just outside of Sheboygan Harbor. There was a hole stove into the scow that required drydocking for repairs, but damage was light. The John Evenson returned to Sturgeon Bay on 5 November with the scow in tow. The tug was repaired at a former yard of Captain Laurie's in Sturgeon Bay over the winter of 1891 and had parts replaced on the engine.


1892 was a challenging year in the John Evenson's career. On 20 April 1892, while passing through the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal the tugboat struck the corner of the north side of the drawbridge with the starbord side of its pilothouse, smashing a portion and setting the top back a foot. On 26 May 1892, the John Evenson caught on fire while laying at the Merchant's wharf in Sturgeon Bay. The started in the pilot house and spread quickly the heat was so intense that the windows broke. The fire started from the boiler, the rear end of which rested near the wooden partition. No alarm could be sounded but a message was sent to the Sturgeon Bay Fire Department engine house, but by the time they arrived the crew, the tug Nelson and others on hand at the wharf stepped in and put out the fire. A month later on 23 June the Fire Department issued a bill for $10.00 for the false alarm of the John Evenson. The tug was repaired and on 4 June 1892 and was used to attempt to recover an anchor and thirty fathoms of chain that was lost by the schooner Franz Sigel that was lost near Chambers Island. The Evenson had grappled the chain and nearly brought it to the surface when the grappling tackle broke, not being heavy enough for the task.


A month later on 18 July, the John Evenson caught on fire again while docked in Manistee, Michigan. The tug had been laying at the wharf after bringing a scow full of salt. The fire caught in the after end of the cabin and the fire was supposed to have started from a spark thrown by a passing tug as apparently fires have started in Manistee in the same spot for the same reason previously. The upper works were destroyed, but the hull and machinery were still intact. Afterwards the tug sat in Manistee while insurance was settled and on 15 September 1892 the Laurie Brothers repaired the tug enough to sail it back to Sturgeon Bay where they thoroughly rebuilt the upper works of the tug making the cabins and pilothouse a little wider than previously. The John Evenson was immediately put back into work until it was hauled out for winter quarters in December.


1893 was a busy season for the Laurie Brothers Quarry and the John Evenson. Captain Alex Laurie would state that this season was "the most favorable for that business that he has yet seen." Much of the stone hauled by the Evenson primarily going to Milwaukee for the construction of the Milwaukee breakwater. During the construction the Evenson made three round trips in eight days. On 10 August 1893 while leaving the Sturgeon Bay Ship canal with a scow and a schooner in tow, the towline for the last schooner parted. The crew of the schooner had to blow their foghorn and shouted to get the attention of the tug crew. The Evenson heard the commotion and turned around and repaired the line, continuing its tow.


On 16 September 1893 the schooner Pewaukee missed the entrance to the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal and went ashore south of the cut. The schooner was released by the Evenson and grounded once again on the north side of the canal and the Evenson came to the rescue once again. The smoky conditions of the atmosphere at the time were blamed on the Pewaukee's misfortune. On 11 November 1893 the John Evenson was towing the schooner F.W. Gifford into the canal and the steambarge Sidney O. Neff was outbound in tow of the tug St. Joe in foggy conditions the two tugs passed by each other safely, but their tows collided with each other. The F.W. Gifford had the port side of its rig torn away and the Sidney O. Neff lost part of its deckload of lumber, the end of its jibboom and one of its catheads. The volume of the fog signal was given as the reason for the confusion. The St. Joe and the Sidney O. Neff continued on its way and the John Evenson had to turn around and take the F.W. Gifford in for repairs. The Life saving crew had to set to picking up the errant lumber floating in the canal. On 23 November the John Evenson was used to tow the Sturgeon Bay Life Saving Station's surf boat and lifesaving equipment through heavy seas and a storm to the wrecked schooner J.A. Travis in North Bay. The Evenson arriving to the scene at 3am. The surfboat was able to maneuver to the wrecked schooner and rescue all aboard. The John Evenson towed the surfboat, lifesavers and crew back to Sturgeon Bay.


The next season on 28 June 1894, the John Evenson held up traffic on the bridge across the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal for four hours when the tug attempted to bring a big raft through the draw. This also stopped traffic up and down the canal. On 30 June the Evenson brought a scow loaded with 3,500 railroad ties to Sturgeon Bay for the Ahnapee & Western Railroad for completing the end of the railroad. On 29 September the John Evenson brought in the schooner Bertie Calkins after the schooner stopped outside the canal because the gale was too rough for the ship to enter. That same week, the Evenson had a mishap while towing the schooner Butcher Boy through the canal. While towing the schooner the bolts that secured the rudder to the rudderpost dropped out and tug lost steering. Just then the wind blew up and the tug was given a strong throttle and the Evenson managed to keep the tug in the channel the rest of the way out. Repairs were made that afternoon. On 9 March 1895 the Evenson had the flues for it boiler lengthened at the Leathem & Smith shop and the tug was launched for the season a month later on 20 April 1895.
On 5 June 1895 the John Evenson was returning to Sturgeon Bay from Manitowoc after having its firebox for its boiler repaired at a yard in Manitowoc. When the tug reached the vicinity of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, Captain John Laurie decided to the tug should return to work immediately and waited off the canal for the next vessel in need of a tow. The brand new steambarge I. Watson Stephenson with two consorts in tow, the Alert and the Peshtigo signalled for a for assistance in getting through the canal. The wind was heavy and the seas were up. As the tug approached to take up tow, the Stephenson and its consorts were still nearly at full speed, which the tug possibly miscalculated when taking up tow. While attempting to get a line attached to the Stephenson's bow, the John Evenson got too close and was struck in the stern by the Stephenson's bow, the force of the collision forced the tug to turn sideways until the tug rolled over sideways causing the tug to fill with water and sink immediately. All of the crew were standing on the deck at the time of the collision except Fireman Martin "Baldy" Boswell, who was asleep in the cabin down below. Boswell awoke to the commotion and got as far as the door of the cabin when the tug flipped and the force of the water entering the tug pushed him back into the boat. The rest of the crew managed to clamber over the hull of the Evenson as the tug rolled over and made it nearly to the keel when the tug sank. The I. Watson Stephenson and its consorts lowered the boats but the crew of the tug was left floating in the water for fifteen minutes before they were rescued.
The John Evenson sank roughly off Foscoro, Wisconsin, north of Algoma. A month later on 20 July 1895, a body believed to be that of the lost fireman, Martin Boswell washed ashore at Foscoro. The body was moved to Ahnapee (Algoma) Wisconsin and Captain John Laurie went to inspect the remains in order to provide a positive identification. It was reported by onlookers that the "countenance of the man was so changed that those who saw it could not tell it was Boswell or not." Two years later in 1897, the Laurie Brothers desired to attempt to raise their former tug off the bottom of Lake Michigan. However, they ran into the issue that they had received the insurance payout for the loss of the John Evenson and if they were successful the insurance underwriters would come in and claim their property that they paid for. The Laurie brothers had chartered use of the schooner Paige for raising the tug. On 28 August 1897 the Laurie Brothers abandoned their attempt to raise the John Evenson.


The Wreck of the John Evenson has long been sought after by divers over the intervening years with the Nimrods Dive Club of Green Bay offering a reward of $500 for the wreck's location.


On Friday 19 September 2024 the wreck of the John Evenson was finally located by shipwreck historians Brendon Baillod and Bob Jaeck.


The John Evenson is broken up, seemingly laying on its side in about 42 feet of water with its machinery intact.