GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Lake Michigan is home to countless shipwrecks, and most of them will never be seen by people up close, let alone explored. But there are a few that met their final watery resting places not too far from the shoreline. This means you do not need any fancy equipment to see some of our state's water-bound history up close.
The Daisy Day was a 103-foot lumber hooker – built to stop and ‘hook’ itself in small ports with no dock. In 1891, the boat was loaded with lumber and stranded on a small sand bar, and a storm blew the Daisy Day against the pier. In 2003 the remains were finally discovered by Oceana County resident David Miescch while walking along the beach of Claybanks Township Park. The Michigan Shipwreck Research Association viewed the remains which become uncovered occasionally because of the shifting sand in the area.
The Helenis another wreck that finds itself in shallow water (about 12’) and changing sandy conditions. Now sitting about three miles north of the Muskegon channel, David Miesch discovered this wreck too on a family vacation in 2002.
According to the MSRA the wreck can be seen from sand dunes on shore, making it a great way to see our history without even getting your feet wet – you might want to see them both while you can.
“Over the decades, they broke up,” Director of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association Valerie Van Heest told us. “But what's remaining of both of these ships is the lower hull, the keelson, the frames, and you can really get a sense of the ships and the dangers that near shore was at that at this time.”
The Contest is another ship that leaves a lot to the imagination near the tip of the White Lake Channel. According to the Van Heest, there is little more left of the schooner than keelson and slab of wood locked in the sand. Bad for the Contest, but good for shipwreck hunters.
“Several years ago that revealed itself after a big storm and our team went, we took measurements, we were able to identify it as the Contest, a ship lost in the 1880s, as I recall, and it too, comes and goes with sands as they ebb and flow,” Van Heest said. “But the White Lake Channel, there's a historic Lighthouse right there. It's a museum. And so it's a great place to visit the museum and then go down to the lake shore and see if you can just detect the remains of the ship.
A more intact wreck off the shore near Muskegon is the Henry Court, which sunk in the Muskegon Channel in 1934. The remains now act as a reminder of the dangers of Lake Michigan even in shallow water.
“It was trying to get into the Muskegon Channel and the winds blew it on the north side of the channel, it grounded, the waves were breaking it up there are passengers on board,” Van Heest said. “Thankfully, the lifesaving station there got everyone off safely. And now the remains are scattered in shallow water on a clear calm day you can canoe over it. And there it is beneath you. “
The City of Green Bay is another shipwreck scattered along the lake floor after it sank in 1887, south of Deerlick Park.
In May 2021, the owners of a private home contacted the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven to say they found the remains of a ship near their beach. The museum contacted the MSRA who concluded that the remains were that of the City of Green Bay, but the wreckage had moved from its original location – which Valerie and crew explored years earlier.
“There was a big storm and lifted, and the remains moved about 1,000’,” Valerie said. “It's now in front of private property.”
This makes visiting this wreck a little trickier, requiring a small boat. But highlights two obstacles that shipwreck hunters face, changing conditions and locations. Two factors that Valerie says can’t be overlooked.
“Wait till it's a calm day. Wait until the weather's beautiful and the sun is shining, because that's when you can detect the remains of the ships in shallow water, look for black dark spots in the water, and then wade in,” she recommended. “Maybe bring a mask with you put your face in the water and look at the timbers. And we want to remind everybody that these ships are historic treasures. Don't remove anything, leave what you see there for others to come and see later.
We are very lucky to have these opportunities to visit Michigan history. But like with any adventure, it's important to visit these sites safely. Make sure you aren't trespassing on private property and treat our history with the respect it deserves.
Not all shipwrecks in Lake Michigan are that easy to see. One of the harder ones to access was the steam barge Milwaukee. It's location was a mystery until The MSRA found it in the summer of 2023 over 300’ feet below the surface of Lake Michigan. Valerie’s husband Jack and the team used a custom robot to get the first views of the dramatically intact ship and shared the footage with us here.
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