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Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
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The shipwrecks of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore are nearly as well known as the rock formations that give the area its name. But the shoreline marks the boundary between two very different environments, the land and the underwater world. In this region the lake bottom is dramatically sculpted with ridges, banks and pinnacles, but blends into the larger body of Lake Superior on the northern coast of Michigans upper peninsula. The shipwrecks of the lakeshore are well preserved because they have been spared the pressures of population and industry. It is the undisturbed quality of the Pictured Rocks shipwrecks that has attracted the attention of historians and sport divers. The wrecks in the vicinity of the park are part of the Alger Underwater Preserve, designated by the State of Michigan to ensure their further preservation and enjoyment.
Despite the strong focus on the shipwrecks of the area, much confusion persists about the identities and locations of many of them. The Murray Bay Wreck, for instance, which is probably the earliest-known and most dived wreck in the area, has been known by at least three different names. |
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| Three large wrecks on Au Sable Point have been confused for years. The stern of the steel steamer Kiowa was long presumed to be the bow. Numerous artifacts and shipwreck fragments discussed in Park Service narrated beach walks could not be positively identified. The need for a systematic and comprehensive study of the wreck sites was easily demonstrated. SRC addressed this need in a 1988 project and subsequent 1989 report. |
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- September 1988 Documentation of shipwreck remains within Pictured Rocks NL. Toni Carrell, Project Director. Patrick Labadie of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Canal Park Museum was principal investigator. In this case, the SRC provided the diving and underwater archeological expertise to facilitate a partner already familiar with the resource to obtain the supporting data to complete a major study of the areas shipwrecks.
Reference:
- Labadie, C. Patrick, 1989, Submerged Cultural Resources Study: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Submerged Resources Center Professional Report No. 8. National Park Service, Santa Fe, NM.
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Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
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