Big Lake wreck hunters unveil new discovery
Video by Ken Merryman
A team of shipwreck hunters has added another find to its long list of discoveries.
Jerry Eliason, Dan Fountain, Nick Lintgen, Ken Merryman and Kraig Smith found the J.S. Seaverns in Michipicoten Harbor, Ontario, announcing it with spectacular underwater footage of the well-preserved wreck. Plates and bowls still sit stacked in cabinets, more than 130 years after the vessel went down.
The Seaverns, a passenger propeller, was built in 1880 using the hull of the J.P. Ward (which itself had already lived several lives since being built as a sidewheel tug in 1857). In May 1884, it ran onto a reef while backing away from a Michipicoten Harbor dock. During a salvage attempt, the ship foundered and sank.
Ken writes, “As far as we know no one had ever discovered or dived it. The lifetime resident owner of the marina was not aware of the wreck. There were no lines on it and obviously the artifacts were all still there. It took us one day to find it, get a look at it with a drop camera, and do our first dive, although we did end up navigating the Michipicoten River back to the marina in the dark. That was far more white-knuckle than the dive. Without giving away too much information about depth before getting the go-ahead from the provincial archeologist, I can say we dove it on air.”
Members of the team have found many notable wrecks, including the Henry B. Smith (as chronicled in Fred Stonehouse’s The Last Laker), Benjamin Noble, Kamloops and Scotiadoc.
+ A long-lost locomotive was found in the Lake near Marathon, Ontario. Andrew Krueger tells the story for the Duluth News Tribune:
Within about an hour on July 22, about 235 feet beneath the surface amid a jumble of massive boulders, Crossmon and his companions found what they were looking for. There, visible on a video screen aboard their 24-foot boat, was the wreckage not of some long-lost schooner or ill-fated freighter, but rather a railroad locomotive. Canadian Pacific Railway Locomotive 694, to be exact, which crashed into the lake from the cliffs above in a violent collision of metal and rock before sunrise on the morning of June 10, 1910.
Happy National Dog Day!
Today (August 26) is National Dog Day, and the Twin Ports area has two dog-friendly happenings for the weekend. The newest Duluth dog park, the city’s third, has its grand opening with Mayor Emily Larson and a “ribbon cutting” being done by dogs bursting through a paper chain with names of volunteers who created the park at 3567 Riley Road, off Jean Duluth Road. Tomorrow in Cloquet, it’s “dogs only” in the water at Pinehurst Park beach for the first Doggie Dip. Family friendly pooches required.
New trail opens on the Bayfield Peninsula
A bike trail connecting Ashland and Washburn is now open. From the announcement:
The trail is approximately 14 miles in length. The Ashland trail head is located on the Tri-county Corridor at its intersection with Sanborn Ave. The Washburn trail head is located near the entrance to Memorial Park. The trail is marked with small green signs with a biker/hiker symbol. It is mowed and maintained, but not paved or surfaced. Mountain bikes and Fat Tire bikes are recommended for traveling on the trail. There will be areas of mud and wet ground so please travel with care. The trail will always welcome hikers as well.
A 360-degree tall ship view: Dennis O’Hara used a drone to create this interactive view of the Duluth harbor before the Tall Ships festival gates opened. This weekend several tall ships are docked in Marquette for the Masters of the Wind event, part of the annual Rotary Harbor Fest.
From Marquette to Olympic gold: Helen Maroulis won the United States’ first-ever gold medal in women’s wrestling. “Originally from Maryland, Maroulis came to Marquette for her senior year so she could train at the former USOEC, now called the Northern Michigan Olympic Training Site,” Jerry Tudor writes for WLUC.
Double the treatment: Canada’s largest international fleet owner, Fednav Limited, is tackling invasive species in ballast in its newest vessel, which has a two-time treatment system, reports BusinessNorth.
Jeff Daniels’ kinda town: Word on the Street’s Brian Cabell reports that The Travel Channel is filming in Marquette again as part of a feature on celebrities’ hometowns. Actor Jeff Daniels is the excuse for the location filming; his wife Kathleen is from the area and they visit frequently. Just a week ago a TC crew was up filming for a foodie show!
Making waves: Two University of Minnesota Duluth graduates completed their summer-long paddle around Lake Superior. Lexi Bruno and Erin Denny kayaked 1,300 miles in 77 days.
U.P. webseries launches Kickstarter for second season: “Northbound is a post-apocalyptic webseries set in a North American wilderness soon after a mysterious, cataclysmic event killed millions in a single day,” according to the project description. The team, which films in and around Iron Mountain, Michigan, hopes to raise $15,000 for Season 2. You can watch the first season for free at GeekNation.