It has been 50 years since the Great Lakes freighter Edmund Fitzgerald vanished on Lake Superior, taking all 29 crew members with it on the night of November 10, 1975. The Great Lakes have claimed over 6,000 vessels and more than 30,000 lives since humans first navigated these waters in hand-crafted boats. Only about a quarter of these shipwrecks have been discovered.

The serene beauty of the Great Lakes conceals a perilous world of seasonal storms, poor judgment, and overconfident sailors. From September to December, storms on the Great Lakes can rival or even surpass those on the world’s oceans. Many ocean sailors have attempted careers on the lakes, only to return to ocean sailing after experiencing a Great Lakes storm. Throughout the lakes’ sailing history, numerous collisions and groundings have occurred. Additionally, some sailors and captains have ignored weather warnings or relied solely on their own judgment, disregarding advice and maps.

This exhibit highlights a fraction of the known shipwrecks on the Great Lakes and explores how these vessels became permanent residents of the lakes’ icy depths.