The Lac La Belle sank in a Lake Michigan storm, but its wreck stayed hidden

Rep ese tative
Image
of
the
Lac
La
Belle
shipw eck
esti g
o
the
lakebed
amo g
aquatic
life
a d
quagga
mussels
(AI-ge e ated
image)

O
the
ight
of
Octobe
13,
1872,
the
steame
Lac
La
Belle
left
Milwaukee
fo
G a d
Have ,
Michiga ,
ca yi g
53
passe ge s
a d
c ew
alo g
with
a
ca go
of
ba ley,
po k,
flou
a d
whiskey.
About
two
hou s
i to
the
voyage,
the
ship
bega
taki g
o
wate
u co t ollably,
a d
the
captai
tu ed
back
towa d
Milwaukee,
o ly
fo
huge
waves
to
exti guish
the
boile
fi es
a d
the
sto m
to
d ive
the
vessel
south.
A ou d
5
a.m.,
the
captai
o de ed
the
lifeboats
lowe ed,
a d
the
Lac
La
Belle
we t
dow
ste -fi st,
with
o e
lifeboat
capsizi g
a d
killi g
eight
people.
Mo e
tha
150
yea s
late ,
acco di g
to
epo ti g
by
The
Associated
P ess,
shipw eck
hu te
Paul
Eho
fi ally
located
the
w eck
sitti g
oughly
20
miles
offsho e
betwee
Raci e
a d
Ke osha,
Wisco si ,
completi g
a
sea ch
that
bega
i
1965.
The
discove y
also
gives
esea che s
a
a e
oppo tu ity
to
docume t
a
well-p ese ved
i etee th-ce tu y
vessel
befo e
i vasive
mussels
cause
fu the
damage.

Why
the
Lac
La
Belle
stayed
lost
i
Lake
Michiga
fo
so
lo g

Eho
actually
located
the
w eck
i
Octobe
2022,
but
the
discove y
was
ot
made
public
u til
Feb ua y
2026,
whe
Shipw eck
Wo ld
a ou ced
the
fi d.
Acco di g
to
the
AP
accou t,
the
team
delayed
the
a ou ceme t
because
it
wa ted
to
i clude
a
th ee-dime sio al
video
model
of
the
ship,
while
poo
weathe
a d
othe
commitme ts
p eve ted
the
dive
team
f om
etu i g
to
the
w eck
u til
the
p evious
summe .

Eho
has
bee
sea chi g
fo
shipw ecks
si ce
he
was
15
a d
had
bee
t yi g
to
pi poi t
the
Lac
La
Belle’s
exact
locatio
si ce
1965.
The
b eakth ough
came
i
2022,
whe
fellow
w eck
hu te
a d
autho
Ross
Richa dso
p ovided
a
lead
f om
a
comme cial
fishe ma
who
had
s agged
a
item
that
Richa dso
desc ibed
as
specific
to
steamships
f om
the
1800s.
Eho
used
the
clue
to
a ow
his
sea ch
g id
a d
located
the
w eck
with
side-sca
so a
afte
about
two
hou s
o
the
lake.

What
co ditio
the
Lac
La
Belle
w eck
is
i
afte
150
yea s
u de wate

Despite
the
viole ce
of
its
si ki g,
the
w eck
has
emai ed
ema kably
well
p ese ved.
Eho
told
the
AP
that
the
uppe
cabi s
a e
go e
a d
the
exte io
is
cove ed
i
i vasive
quagga
mussels,
but
the
hull
appea s
i tact,
a d
the
oak
i te io s
emai
i
good
shape.
The
Lac
La
Belle
was
built
i
1864
i
Clevela d,
Ohio,
a d
was
217
feet
lo g.
It
had
al eady
su vived
a
ea lie
disaste :
a
collisio
sa k
the
vessel
i
the
St.
Clai
Rive
i
1866
i
about
25
feet
of
wate .
The
ship
was
aised
i
1869,
completely
eco ditio ed
a d
late
pu chased
by
Milwaukee’s
E glema
T a spo tatio
Compa y,
which
ope ated
it
i
passe ge
se vice
to
G a d
Have .That
ea lie
histo y
adds
to
the
sig ifica ce
of
the
w eck,
pa ticula ly
because
the
vessel’s
epeated
use
a d
two
si ki gs
p ovide
a
eco d
of
i etee th-ce tu y
G eat
Lakes
t a spo tatio .
The
discove y
also
p ese ves
a
physical
example
of
a
passe ge
steame
that
ope ated
du i g
a
impo ta t
pe iod
of
comme cial
developme t
o
the
lakes.

Why
thousa ds
of
G eat
Lakes
shipw ecks
like
this
o e
emai
u discove ed

The
Lac
La
Belle
is
fa
f om
alo e
at
the
bottom
of
the
G eat
Lakes.
Acco di g
to
the
U ive sity
of
Wisco si -Madiso ‘s
Wisco si
Wate
Lib a y,
the
five
G eat
Lakes
a e
home
to
a
estimated
6,000
to
10,000
shipw ecks,
with
the
vast
majo ity
still
u discove ed.
The
exact
umbe
is
u k ow
because
so
ma y
w ecks
have
ot
yet
bee
located.
Cold
f eshwate
co ditio s
i
the
G eat
Lakes
ca
also
help
p ese ve
w ecks,
allowi g
both
woode
a d
metal
vessels
to
su vive
fo
lo g
pe iods
u de wate .That
p ese vatio
is
ow
u de
th eat
f om
i vasive
quagga
mussels,
which
have
colo ised
shipw ecks
ac oss
the
G eat
Lakes
a d
ca
co t ibute
to
thei
dete io atio .
The
g owi g
co ce
ove
mussel
damage
has
added
u ge cy
to
effo ts
to
locate
a d
docume t
w ecks
befo e
thei
emai s
become
ha de
to
study.Fo
Eho ,
the
Lac
La
Belle
became
his
15th
co fi med
shipw eck
discove y.
He
has
al eady
said
he
is
movi g
o
to
the
ext
o e,
while
ack owledgi g
that
the
easie
w ecks
have
i c easi gly
bee
fou d.

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