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#3 GREAT LAKES TREASURE H UN T ] reprinted by special permission of INSIDE MICHIGAN MAGAZINE 944 Free Press Bldg. Detroit 26, Michigan Part-One Most people get a little excited at the mention of hidden treasure. And rightly so... for scattered around many of the Great Lakes states is enough treasure to arouse even the least excitable. Some of this hoard is at the bottom of the Great Lakes, where recovery would require a major salvage operation. Other treasure is buried on land, sometimes so close to the surface that probably a few kicks at the earth would expose it -- if one knew just where to kick! Hundreds of ships have sunk in the Great Lakes since La Salle's Griffon disappeared in the Straits of Mackinac in 1679. One of the latest to go was the freighter, Henry Steinbrenner, lost in Lake Superior in May 1953. Each nation that has occupied Michigan has left treasure buried in her waters and soil. There is Indian silver, French louis d'or, English sovereigns, and lost American riches ranging from whiskey to jewelry, all waiting to be found. A rich man can invest thousands of dollars in a search for buried treasure, but a boy might make a worthwhile find using only the family shovel. Between the years 1878 and 1898 it is estimated that a total of 4 ,9 8 8 vessels of all types and sizes had gone to the bottom of the Great Lakes. Between 1903 and 1922, more than 1200 were wrecked. At least 525 have been wrecked in the last 20 years. The worst storm in Great Lakes history occurred November 9, 10, 11 and 12, 1913 and 43 boats were wrecked or sunk. Twenty-one boats sank during the "Black Friday storm, October 20, 1916" and the thirteen during the Armistice Day storm of 1940. This summer, for the first time, an expedition of sizeable proportions is setting forth in an effort to salvage part of the sunken wealth of the Great Lakes. The venture has been sparked by Peter J. McLean of Windsor, a young inventor, explorer and railroad employee who has dreamed for years of sending divers down to probe the lakes for treasure. McLean has done considerable research and marked the approximate locations of many hulks in Lake Erie, near the Michigan and Ohio coastlines. Probably before this is in print he will actually have started on a treasure hunting expedition which is being conducted as an activity of the Guy Under­ water Exploration Club, a non-profit Michigan corporation "organized to gather together adventurous people to share the thrills of seeking sunken treasure ships throughout the Great Lakes. " McLean is secretary-treasurer of the club. Twenty-four club members will accompany him. The main ship of the expedition's fleet is a former Windsor-Detroit ferry, 150 feet long and displacing 2000 tons. The navy converted her to a salvage boat and ice-breaker, and used her during World War II. Her heavy construction and steel booms and winches make her ideally suited for the rugged work of re­ covering sunken treasure. Officially christened Treasure Unlimited, the boat has been moored at the foot of Ouellette Avenue in Windsor since the club pur­ chased her last fall. The expedition also has a 6 5-foot auxiliary boat for exploratory diving, called The Rambler; a barge which carries giant sucking equipment for salvag­ ing "treasures" like coal; and a small cruiser which will enable the expedition's members to maintain contact with shore if and when the larger vessels are an­ chored over a treasure site. The expedition's sponsor, the Guy Underwater Exploration Club, has members in various regions of the United States and Canada. In addition to McLean, its officers are Ralph E. Smith, a retired farmer in Windsor, president: and R. M . c o n t p . 4 1