“Shipwreck hunting is a passion, a disease—once you start, you cannot quit,” says the shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn. The 80-year-old recently announced the discovery of the Lac La Belle, a 217ft passenger steamer that lay at the bottom of Lake Michigan for more than 150 years. On a stormy October night in 1872, just two hours after departing Milwaukee for Grand Haven, Michigan, the wooden ship was damaged in a gale and sank. Eight of the 53 people on board died when a lifeboat capsized; the rest survived.
The Great Lakes have a treacherous history. More than 6,000 shipwrecks have been documented, most dating from between 1840 and 1900. “There were too many ships in a confined space next to bad weather, mainly in the fall,” says Brendon Baillod, the president of the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association. In Lake Michigan alone, 1,500 vessels went under. “The most common cause of wrecks was being pushed to shore, with fragments often exposed,” he adds. “Far fewer sank in deep waters like the Lac La Belle.”
Luxury and commerce
“The Lac La Belle was a top vessel in quality and demand,” Baillod says. “It was also 30% faster than other steamers.” The ship had parlours and an elegant main salon with ornate chandeliers. In addition to serving well-to-do passengers, it was part of a commercial route—the ship was carrying 19,000 bushels of barley, 1,200 barrels of flour, 50 barrels of pork and 25 barrels of whiskey when it sank…