Built by John Evenson, the John Evenson was launched near the Life Saving Station in Milwaukee on May 21st, 1884. The John Evenson became stuck on its launch, a bad omen in maritime circles. The tug was put into service when it was unable to be sold, running as independent opposition to the Milwaukee Tug Boat Company. It was the first of multiple other tugs built under Evenson’s name that operated independently. With Evenson dying on March 31, 1887, the John Evenson was chartered out by his brother-in-law while the family attempted to sell it. The vessel was set on fire by its galley stove in September of 1887, smoldering for hours until Captain Ramage was woken up by the heat as flames broke through the windows of the pilothouse. John Evenson was sold in 1890 to Captain William Boyd, who proceeded to not keep up on his payments and thus had legal action brought upon him. It was suddenly sold again in October 1890 to brothers, Sturgeon Bay quarry owners, John and Alex Laurie, putting it back into tug and shipping work. It caught fire twice in 1892, leading to severe damages. After receiving work during the winter of 1894, it was relaunched in 1895.
On June 5 1895, the John Evenson responded to a request for assistance by the steamer I. Watson Stephenson and its schooner consorts Alert and Peshtigo. However, the tug was struck by the steamer, capsizing it and sending it to the bottom of Lake Michigan in under three minutes. The I. Watson Stephenson and its consorts lowered small boats to rescue the crew, getting the men out in fifteen minutes, sans ship fireman Martin Boswell. Martin Boswell was below deck when the accident occurred and was sucked under the waves when water rushed into the tug.
Divers began searching for the John Evenson in the 1980s without success leading to the Neptune's Nimrods Dive Club of Green Bay offering a cash reward for its discovery. On 13 September 2024, the site was located during an intentional search conducted by Brendon Baillod and Robert Jaeck, members of the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association (WUAA). In 2025, the vessel lays broken on the bottom of Lake Michigan with many of its hull components extant including the intact drivetrain which includes the boiler, engine, propeller shaft, thrust bearing, propeller and rudder.