We just had a basketball celebrity here in Milwaukee return to his childhood part of the inner city and consul youngsters in following their dreams. Carbon dating of the bowsprit estimated an age range within a year of The Griffins sinking in 1679. It's the oldest mystery on the Great Lakes: Whatever happened to the Griffon? They say that big things come in small packages. ", [ Want more news like this? "I've been interested in this ship since I was 14," he said in an interview in Charlevoix last week. It was late August in 1994 when the crew of "Unsolved Mysteries" arrived, and the county was ready for them. Nevertheless, Bennett is quite confident that he is very close to the treasure. Rick Lagina and the team set out on a highly anticipated dive operation to find evidence of a shipwreck, in this clip from Season 9, "The Hedden Truth."Tuesd. History: Richard Bennett, a professional diver and author of 'The Poverty Island Sunken Treasure Brief', has spent over forty-five years and $100,000 of his own money searching for a Civil War treasure in Lake Michigan. Poverty Island is a small island in the U.S. state of Michigan. Many people dream about winning the lottery or being a great sports figure. April 30, 2019. Acouple in Charlevoix think they've found it. Despite that belief, there is a story that a group of sailors might have accidentally snagged one of the trunks in 1929. I have been fascinated by treasure hunting all my life whether on land or sea its addictive. "I've supported the historical part of it," including the accumulation and study of an entire wall of books about French exploration of North America, 17th-century shipbuilding techniques, and just about everything ever written from 1769 on about the Griffon. On June 16, 2013, U.S. and French archeologists began examining an underwater object first discovered in 2001 near Poverty Island that could be the wreck of Le Griffon, although it will take time to determine if it is even a shipwreck.Le Griffon was the first full-sized European style sailing ship on the upper Great Lakes that was built and commanded by the French explorer Ren . By Michael Greshko. Join MU Plus+ and get exclusive shows and extensions & much more! Hauling it by boat to the island was to dangerous, making the boat seem like towing a rock, so the lil craft never made it down to the bottom. . said a Chicago man named Frank Pea spent three summers in the late 1930s and early 1940s exploring the depths around Poverty Island with a ship named the St. Lawrence and a diving bell. The cargo of furs, with an estimated value of 640,000 in todays money, likely sank with her. Author By Posted on June 8, 2022 Categories elle lively mcbroom age 2021 how to check engine hours on suzuki outboard. The director, Michael Palazzolo, arrived and scouted out the county for filming locations. He has said of his search: I am sincere; this is not a hoax. The Griffin is believed to be the first ship of European design to sail the upper Great Lakes. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. "Adventures on Forty-one Islands: Island No. READ MORE:Nostradamus makes chilling 2022 'prediction' for EU collapse. According to Richard Bennett, a young boy named Karly Jesson, whose father was the local lighthouse keeper, was said to have watched the salvage operation for three consecutive summers: One day, he was sitting on the rocks watching this operation, and there was a lot of rejoicing, revelryobviously a real congratulatory party that was going on, on the ship.. Contact me if your interested Mr Bennett. Poverty Island is currently owned by the federal government. While this sounds like just an old sailor's legend, there are some historical accounts that somewhat give the story credence. Often, we likely went over the same spot or at least part of the same spot. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. The ship was built in Ireland and was considered to be "unsinkable.". Theislandis within Delta County in Lake Michigan and is home to thePoverty IslandLight Station, an abandoned lighthouse which is in disrepair. . They just sat there (on gun carriages). find one that is plausible for you and do the research. La Salle never found out what happened to his ship. (1,509 ft 2 in) off Poverty Island, Michigan on 21 April 1984. The wreck believed to be the Griffin was found near Poverty Island on Lake Michigan. The orginal 8 minute program was cut to 6 minutes because the program was moved into their 200th Anniversary Show. Taking a new approach, Rick Lagina and Matty Blake return to Poverty Island in Lake Michigan to search for millions in missing Civil War gold. VIRTUAL MUSEUM Shipwrecks: A Deep Look Lost & Found Unsolved Mysteries Artifact Collection. Despite that belief, there is a story that a group of sailors might have accidentally snagged one of the trunks in 1929. Fairport appeals from the district court's grant of . It was then spirited down the St. Lawrence River and into Lake Michigan. . It tells a story of one village in rural medieval Japan, following one boy Isaku, as his family struggles to get food essential for their survival. It is near tiny Poverty Island in northwestern Lake Michigan and about 50 feet below the water's surface. The island is within Delta County in Lake Michigan and is home to the Poverty Island Light . Shipwreck hunters have been desperately searching for The Griffin since it sank to the murky depths of Lake Michigan while carrying a valuable cargo of furs in 1679. . Mr Libert will continue to search the bed of Lake Michigan using non-intrusive techniques, with the ultimate aim of finding a cannon with the date stamped on it. They pursued lifelong careers in Washington, D.C. Steve in Naval intelligence, Kathie withher own marketing firm but visited northern Michigan summer after summer. However, Richard believes that there would be no record because the treasure was brought during a clandestine operation. The PADI 50 year Contributions Award 2016 This particular drone video offers unique insight into the island's rugged natural . It looked like a ship sitting upright on the lake bottom. Maybe somebody will find that ship someday,'and he touched me on the shoulder.". Watch this case now on Amazon Prime in season seven with Robert Stack and in season five with Dennis Farina. Despite the lack of a paper trail, the legend of the secret shipment has persisted. Although a lighthouse was eventually built on Poverty Island and put into operation in 1885, for a long time ships were forced to travel during the days and brave treacherous rocks and shoals. When a Union ship began attacking, the captain had the crew throw the treasure chests overboard in the waters off poverty island, so the gold could not be . Poverty Island is currently owned by the federal government. After two years sifting through satellite imagery, Mr Libert found what he believed was the rest of the wreck, and this was later confirmed in a September 2018 dive. Sitting out in Lake Michigan, south of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and located between St. Martin Island and Summer Island is a windswept, storm-kissed slash of rock called Poverty Island. The scientists and divers searched a wider area Thursday near Poverty Island, a few miles offshore of a remote section of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, with equipment that probes beneath the lake bed for signs of buried objects. The story ends with the bartender living in Hawaii and owning his own construction company. But then again, what if? "That's when I learned about his attachment to the Griffon, and really to the Great Lakes and all shipwrecks," she said. Over a period variously estimated at 188 to 137 years, it has eluded platoons of treasure-The view from Poverty Island reveals a vast panorama of water . Body Count Rises on 400-Year-Old 'Murder Island' Shipwreck. But alas, lifes priorities and age dissolves their dream. Investigations: None It is only a speck of rocky land just east of Wisconsin, surrounded by the chilly waters of Lake Michigan. Traveling up the seaway to the Great Lakes seems to me a very odd way to reach Richmond VA. Scientists stunned at 'perfect' Ice Age discovery: 'Could have died Mary Rose breakthrough: Ship was 'six minutes from being saved', Archaeology: Shipwreck so well preserved you could walk down steps, 'Ship swallower' off British coast has claimed '50,000 lives', Bermuda Triangle bombshell as probe uncovered 80-year-old shipwreck. Pounded to pieces, the ship eventually sank. [1] The island is within Delta County in Lake Michigan and is home to the Poverty Island Light Station, an abandoned lighthouse which is in disrepair. As long as you dont take advantage of someone either by money or reputation I dont see how it can hurt. There are always five chests, and its always the same scenario., Records of 1863 shipwrecks are well preserved. Fact; The treasure was not been found by the first salvage divers, as has been implied. I think you sent me an e-mail about your Poverty Island screenplay. An update on the Poverty Island Treasure legend. Will the underwater sled find the treasure? Professional diver and owner of a diving school and shop in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa, Bennet became fascinated and obsessed with the legend of the Poverty Island lost treasure back in 1968, and has been looking for it ever since. Sanilac Shores also is the resting spot for the wreck of the Sport, a 57-foot steel-hulled tugboat that sank in a gale in December 1920. . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Liberts' book, Le Griffon and the Huron Islands - 1679: Our Story of Exploration and Discovery, is . As a result, Libert has been diving intermittently in the Poverty Island vicinity since 1983. A bowsprit discovered a few miles away in 2001 is another part of the . Bennett, a professional diver and author of The Poverty Island Sunken Treasure Brief, has spent over forty-five years and $100,000 of his own money searching for the Civil War treasure. I really hope you find them. imagine a case of whitworth rifles, ahhhh. From then on, Steve's obsession grew. Or my brother Jim. [4] Le Griffon was the first full-sized European style sailing ship on the upper Great Lakes that was built and commanded by the French explorer Ren-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in 1679. In 1883, a retaining wall was built around . Thisship was the first decked vessel to sail the upper Great Lakes of a scale and design in keeping with 17th Century shipbuilding.". History. I spent my summers for 57 years snorkeling swimming and fishing in bay de noc. In order to aid his driven search, he has enlisted the best equipment he can get his hands on, including a fiberglass homemade mini-sub to comb the gloomy depths at the bottom. The Griffon had seven cannons, according to old French records, Kathie said. Covid microchip developer says there's no stopping roll-out, Covid warning as another new variant with '46 mutations' infects 12. It was explained that by using local talent, production costs could be lowered and the community had a part in the project. They discovered the trunks while pulling up anchor, but before they could get it aboard, the anchor chain snapped and treasure and anchor were lost in the water. Many theories and speculations arose and while the date is often wrong (some sources state that the event . Brent Swancer is an author and crypto expert living in Japan. Its littered with the bones, timbers and planks of wrecked vessels. Description: Poverty Island is an island in Lake Michigan between St. Martin Island and Summer Island just south of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Most of what you may read in the near future about this subject will be gleamed from a new book that has just been printed. Rumors were that the bartender found the gold. Father Louis Hennepin said it was lost in a violent storm. The wreck was found near Poverty Island on Lake . The area is very treacherous. He had dreams of becoming a basketball star on the very street he just visited. The story seems consistent, there were witnesses, and maybe it was real, but in the end,it is really just alegend. The Coronado shipwreck is located south of Hotel del Coronado, a historic hotel in San Diego, in front of the El Camino Tower of the Coronado Shores condos. This is where different versions of the story begin to branch off from the main narrative. However I believe it to be factual regardless of what the naysayers say. The plausibletheory is that during the Civil War, a shipment of gold from NapoleonBonapartewas being transported thru the great lakes down the Mississippi to fund the Confederate army. Like all adventures in treasure hunting there is a lack of funding. Who knows? He met Kathie in high schoolwhen he returned on crutches after a football injury and teachers asked her to carry his books. While closed to the public, a drone video from Eddie Verhamme allows viewers to explore the many wonders of this one-of-a-kind destination. After La Salle's exploits in the Great Lakes, he led his followers down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, claiming all he'd seen for France. Weve not been able to find any evidence that any of these vessels that were recorded to have been lost were sunk in the vicinity of Poverty Island or that they were French vessels, as the legend would have it to be.. However, as the wooden boxes were brought to the surface, the chests broke free and returned to the watery depths. Wisconsin. La Salle and Father Louis Hennepin set out on the Le Griffon's maiden voyage on August 7, 1679 with a crew of 32, sailing across Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan through uncharted waters that only canoes had previously explored. I wish you good luck in your endeavor. In an email, a DNR spokesman said the wreckage the Liberts have targeted can't be the Griffon: "Our archeologists review of recently published media images reveals the remains of a shipwreck that features typical late 19th-century Great Lakes shipbuilding materials and methodologies, and scantlings that are entirely too large to be a French colonial vessel. I have read the above comments and hope to provide you a feature movie someday. The Griffin, Mr Libert believes, was caught in a four-day storm. There is a reason why this book is accruate if not so well definded. That in itself is rewarding. The wooden and steel vessels didnt sink, they floated onto the rocks, were smashed to pieces, and distributed by currents and waves all around the bays half under water until they became waterlogged and sunk. Biology, nature, and cryptozoology still remain Brent Swancers first intellectual loves. Poor guy. How can you challenge a mans mettle any better than on an operation like this? SSI Platinum 5000 Diving Award 1993, 518 Water Street Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085, Second Saturdays - Journeys Into Local History, The Sunken Treasure of Poverty Island with Richard Bennett. Id love to join Mr Bennett and help , and fund his search. It is difficult to tell how many people actually dived near Poverty Island over the years. Now, the program was on its way toDoor County. The Our World Underwater Award 2017 Even better than the equipment is luck Mel Fisher had this and it made him very successful where others failed. . But Im a dreamer, and Im a gambler. I've been itching to get into wreck diving and searching, and up here in Minnesota, I was hoping to start soon. Years later, he was shipwrecked off the coast of Texas and killed in 1687 by mutinous soldiers, according to historians cited by the Liberts. DON'T MISS:Mountain range disappeared into Yellowstone supervolcano magma chamber[INSIGHT]Scientists stunned at 'perfect' Ice Age discovery: 'Could have died[REVEALED]Mary Rose breakthrough: Ship was 'six minutes from being saved'[QUOTES]. The heartless tides of Lake Michigan had once again reclaimed the Poverty Island treasure. Location: near Poverty Island, . Maybe because of Povertys inherit dangerous location this may not be for you. FOR MORE DOOR COUNTY NEWS: Check out our homepage. There are many new facts that appear to support the legend. Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekendon AmazonHERE, It would really mean a lot to me if you Subscribe to Lost In Michigan, Do you want to know when I post something new? As the book states, "In 1678, La Salle led the first party of Europeans to Niagara Falls"; and that Hennepin "was the first to publicize the grandeur of the falls in his 1679 manuscript, 'A New Discovery of a Vast Country in America.' Steve and Kathie Libert, of Charlevoix, said they've spent more than 40 years seeking the answer to one of North Americas most enduring mysteries the final resting place of the legendaryGriffon. The lighthouse was located on the southern end of Poverty Island and consisted of a circular brick tower connected to a brick dwelling by a covered passageway. They discovered the trunks while pulling up anchor, but before they could get it aboard, the anchor chain snapped and treasure and anchor were lost in the water. A underwater tow sled is far more efficient. If they survive 100 years, they probably have an 80, 85% chance of being true. One crew braved overcast skies and choppy waters to venture out to Poverty Island and film underwater terrain while another film crew worked just north of Cana Island. 15 metres (49 ft 3 in) deep, but has been ruled out as the Plymouth and is most likely the Erastus Corning. There have been numerous quote-unquote discoveries of the Griffon that were neverproven," Adkins said. [2][3], On June 16, 2013, U.S. and French archeologists began examining an underwater object first discovered in 2001 near Poverty Island that could be the wreck of Le Griffon, although it will take time to determine if it is even a shipwreck. Door County is also known for are shipwrecks, Death's Door and legends Le Griffon. It is available here. Distribution of shipwrecks globally North Atlantic - 3002 South Atlantic - 198 Mediterranean - 305 Indian - 313 Arctic - 124 Pacific - 3276. The story says several chests of gold, worth an approximate $400 million, were brought overland through Canada and loaded onto a schooner on Lake Michigan. Rick I live in the area of interested and have always wanted to dedicate time to something with allure. Tantalizing stories like these have stoked the imagination of treasure hunters from all over the world, and one of the most well-known of these is a man named Richard Bennett. If your research has been exhaustive then you know that it does exist. The show would be dramatic enough, but in the end, it came down to the same question: is the legend true? Steve and Kathie Libert, a husband and wife team, determined that a wreck found in 2018 near the Poverty Island in Lake Michigan, was likely that of the mysterious Griffin. This wreck is unusual for being buried entirely in the sandit's now stranded about a quarter mile away from shore. Location: Michigan Thegroup's search team has discoveredseveral shipwrecks, including that of the 172-foot schooner-barge Atlanta, found just last yearand deemed "still beautiful after 130 years on the bottom of Lake Superior" by society Executive Director Bruce Lynn. Yetnone has accompanied Steve on his dives, the couple saidin an interview last week at theirwaterfront condominium in Charlevoix. Mr Libert hopes to find a cannon, like the above, on the wreck of The Griffin. Date: 1863 Unsolved Mysteries Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. As shipping traffic increased on the Great Lakes it was decidedthat a light was needed to guide ships safely thru the chain of islands at the entranceto Green Bay. How deep is it?? There were considerable changes to the story line for the sake of TV time constraints. I Agree With You Jean Anne Arden Ah Am A Little Bit Speechless If That Were Me I Would Display It In The Museum! He recalled: I was emotionally drained of all my energy, and was in a complete state of relief and exhaustion, but I could still yell out the words We found it! once I broke the surface.. Archaeology: Discovery of 'grand old' Pearl Harbour ship, Archaeologists stunned at shipwreck 'frozen in time', Nostradamus makes chilling 2022 'prediction' for EU collapse, Mountain range disappeared into Yellowstone supervolcano magma chamber. The Poverty Island Treasure story has been arranged and rearranged with the same slim two sentences or at most a few paragraphs. It also lies in Michgan (the state) waters. It is near tiny Poverty Island in northwestern Lake Michigan and about 50 feet below the water's surface. The sunken salvage ship Captain Lawrence from 1933 was discovered in 1993 and found not to contain the gold. It is called Poverty Island, an apt name, especially when treacherous storms sweep in across the lake without warning. Steve Libert, a well-known Great Lakes shipwreck hunter and president of Great Lakes Exploration Group LLC, claimed he found the Griffon in 2001 in Northern Lake Michigan near Poverty Island. Poverty Island is a small island in the U.S. state of Michigan. What say you, Mate. and the expenses needed for this type of endeavor.l would welcome a discussion. The delivery came down the St. Lawrence River between the United States and Canada and into Lake Michigan en route to Chicago, but somehow, the Union became aware of the delivery and attacked the boat. Youll find many pieces of ships from the same era, but alas matey, wrong wreck. I remember when we were working on raising the Alvin Clark from Green Bay Wisc.someone took our buoy off. If any of the latter was true the ship would rest in deeper water instead of shallow waters.. They lie in shallow water and in the deepest . Decades after the 1933 shipwreck and Behrens's death in 1959, Steven Libert, president of Fairport, learned of the legend of the lost gold. The bowsprit is believed to have broken off before the rest of the ship sank. Results: Unsolved. That sounds a little like maybe he found it and just sort of slipped away. Marty Lagina and Matty Blake return to the eerie . Soshe joined his quest,although she is unable to dive with him because she has had a perforated eardrum since childhood.