The wooden two masted schooner M. Courtwright was built in 1856 by Dewolf at Erie, Pennsylvania. The official registry number was 16393. In both 1861 and 1863 the Board of Great Lakes Underwriters listed the Courtwright as valued at $11,000 and rated A2.

September 1858: Collided with the schooner St Paul off Waukegan, Illinois

1871: Received new decks.

Last Document Of Enrollment Surrendered: Milwaukee: 12/30/1871: "Total Loss".
November 9, 1871. "Waterlogged.-The schooner M. Courtright, owned by Chicago parties, became waterlogged near Racine during the height of the gale Thursday (11/09/1871), and was abandoned. The Andrew Johnson will render assistance." Milwaukee Sentinel 11/11/1871

:The schooner M. Courtright, recently waterlogged near Racine, has drifted upon the beach near Kenosha, a complete wreck." Milwaukee Sentinel 11/14/1871
"Kenosha, Wis., Nov.20, 1915.-Interesting history of one of the old tragedies of Lake Michigan was recalled here on Friday when workmen excavating for the new intake of the Kenosha Water Company found the wreck of a schooner. An investigation brought out the fact that the timbers were a part of the old schooner E.M. Courtright, which foundered in a gale off the Racine reef on Nov. 25, 1870. The boat went on the beach just north of the Kenosha harbor on the following morning, and the captain and members of the crew were rescued by a volunteer band of lifesavers. The hulk of the boat had been left on the beach and the shifting sands of the lake had buried it years ago. The old hulk is being taken from the sand and it will be chopped into kindling wood." Green Bay Press Gazette 11/20/1915

May 2019: Brendon Baillod and Bob Jaeck reported "...we went north of the harbor and imaged the remains of the M. Courtwright and the general area. The Courtwright's remains appear substantially as they do in the drawing on the website and we found no additional remains in the area."