In April 1866, Alger moved to New York City to become a professional writer. In the summer of 1866, he wrote "John Maynard". This is a poem about a real shipwreck on Lake Erie. It brought Alger the notice of other writers when it was published in "Student and Schoolmate" in January 1868. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, for example, sent a letter of compliments to Alger. Children loved the poem and read it aloud in classrooms for many years.