In the spring of 1902, the Empire State and Badger State made their first appearance in Sturgeon Bay. The ships plied regular routes on Lake Michigan, with occasional breaks in their routine. The Empire State transported the Morris and Berger Carnival to Sturgeon Bay, collecting passengers from various ports on the bay to visit the show. On another occasion, she found herself imprisoned in ice for an entire week, with 25 passengers on board. Although two impatient travelers eventually walked ashore, the remainder stayed on board and idled their time "by reading, playing cards, and telling stories." Both vessels were apparently well maintained. After 42 years of service for various lines, the steamers still carried an A2 insurance rating.   

The Empire State's active career as a steamer ended at the Barry Dock in Chicago on Christmas Day in 1906, when fire so damaged the ship that repair was not economically viable. Initial reports indicated that the steamer had burned to the waterline and was a total loss. Subsequent reports, however, estimated the loss to be between $300 and $1,000, with most of the damage confined to the engine room. It was probably the combination of the steamer's advanced age and the recent fire that motivated the Barry Brothers Transportation Company to sell. Once "the finest craft on the lakes," the Empire State would soon adopt a less glamorous role; by the spring of 1908 the vessel was being prepared at Sturgeon Bay for hauling stone.

By 1910, the Sturgeon Bay Stone Company had purchased the former steamer for $2,500. Initially, the barge Empire State was towed often by the tug Erma Wheeler. However, for the remainder of her career she could be seen towed behind the steam barge I. N. Foster. Though the hull had a high length-to- beam ratio, an undesirable attribute for a stone barge, it was deemed worthy of carrying large rock that was unlikely to shift in heavy sea conditions. This service probably took a considerable toll on the former steamer, for by 1912 the barge had settled to the bottom near the wharf at Bullhead Point. The vessel would be pumped, repaired, and placed into service one more time before being intentionally scuttled and filled with rock in 1916 to extend the end of the Sturgeon Bay Stone Company's wharf.