The Ardent was a wooden schooner built in Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1861 to carry general cargo across Lake Michigan. The builder and original owner of the Ardent was Amos C. Stokes. The service activity of the Ardent throughout the 1860s was uneventful, with only a few deck loads reported as lost. It was involved in a collision at Milwaukee in 1871 which resulted in damage to its main rigging. An 1874 report by the National Board of Lake Underwriters of the Ardent showed the owner at the time to be S. Saunders of Whitehall, Michigan. The approximate value was $1,000 at its B2 rating.

In August of 1875, the Ardent arrived in Milwaukee laden with lumber. Two tugs of rival companies, Starke Brothers and Maxon, raced to secure tow of the Ardent. In the haste, the Maxon was forced into the Ardent, extensively damaging the steam screw. The following year, ownership of the Ardent was transferred to Thomas Moore of Whitehall. The Ardent reportedly capsized off Sheboygan in June of 1878 and consequently lost its deck load and mainsail with no casualties. Six months later, the Ardent was making a similar trip from Sheboygan to Chicago during a heavy winter gale. According to the January 1, 1879, issue of the Detroit Post & Tribune, "The crew were almost perishing, their clothes being frozen to their bodies, and had had to be cut to get them off. Their escape from foundering is almost miraculous." The vessel also struck the pier while docking and was damaged.
The Ardent was laden with lumber from Ellison's Bay for Milwaukee in the late season of 1880. The anchor chain snapped from the vessel during a strong gale and the Ardent was blown ashore at Hedgehog Harbor in Door County. Upon reaching Milwaukee, Captain Joseph Duke reported the Ardent to be a total wreck. In his wreck report, he valued his loss at $600, and the loss on cargo at $400. Most of the cargo was saved and the schooner was stripped and abandoned. The final enrollment, issued at the Port of Milwaukee on December 27 of the preceding year, was surrendered on October 5, 1880.
The wreck of the Ardent consists of a wooden schooner. While it is well-documented in historical sources, the actual location and condition of the wreck have not yet been confirmed by archaeological investigation.