The crew members chained the chests together and threw them overboard rather than risk the chance of being caught. They lie in shallow water and in the deepest . Michigan Brothers Unearth 220-Year-Old Treasure Hidden In Oak Island Any story that survives 100 years has to have some validity to it. As long as I have those things working for me, Ill probably continue to do it.. find one that is plausible for you and do the research. FAIRPORT INTERNATIONAL EXPLORATION INC v. The State of - Findlaw Will the underwater sled find the treasure? Proof or not, it's certain that a storied chunk of the Great Lakes' mystery, romance and tragedy lies, somewhere, inthe watery grave of Le Griffon. 2101-2106, and filed a motion to dismiss. The original story from the 1980s tells of a bartender from Washington Island that dove many times also looking for the five chests. As long as you dont take advantage of someone either by money or reputation I dont see how it can hurt. If any of the latter was true the ship would rest in deeper water instead of shallow waters.. 'Holy grail' shipwreck haunted by doomed crew finally discovered 350 The story seems consistent, there were witnesses, and maybe it was real, but in the end,it is really just alegend. In most versions of the tale, the chests, usually said to be five of them, were chained together, making it likely that if one is to find one, they will find all of them. Or, a Top Secret Human Experiment Gone Wild? Links: Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Wreckage of 'cursed' vessel is identified nearly 350 years later See the problem? In 1994, a TV program investigated the Door County legend that $400 million in gold lies submerged near Poverty Island. 1,517 people lost their lives. The White Whale for Great Lakes Shipwreck Hunters In 1863 she grounded on Middle Island, near Thunder Bay, MI and was declared a total loss, but later recovered. It's the oldest mystery on the Great Lakes: Whatever happened to the Griffon? The namehonoredCount Frontenac, the governor of all French territoriesin North America, whose coat of arms featured the symbol. The book is in 8 1/2" X 11" manuscript form and follows somewhat of a sequence of events. Italy migrant boat crash highlights decades of failed policy Until that day, Lake Michigan will keep its grip on the five wooden treasure chests hidden far beneath its surface. The legend and the attempts to discover the treasure caught the ear of the producers of the highly popular, 14-season television series Unsolved Mysteries. The program, which ran from 1988 to 2002, used a documentary format to profile real-life mysteries and featured re-enactments of unsolved crimes, missing persons cases, conspiracy theories and unexplained paranormal phenomena such as alien abductions, ghosts, UFOsand "secret history" theories. Data on another 4,981 ships were . Charlevoix couple offers theory on mysterious 1679 French shipwreck According to Mr Libert, the state feels we are encroaching upon their sovereignty and feels we are nothing more than treasure hunters intruding on the rights of academia and archaeologists. 2020 MYSTERIES & HISTORIES. Feltner believes that the legend of the treasure is a good story, but holds no truth: Records of shipwrecks on the great lakes in the year 1863 are extremely good. Aug 13, 2007. had a conversation with a salvage captain out of green bay many years ago whos father hunted for this treasure. Behrens and his crew of four escaped and took refuge on Poverty Island. Up it came, just seconds away, a fortune in gold, when suddenly the chains broke. Extra Notes: This case originally ran on the November 11, 1994 episode. It was late August in 1994 when the crew of "Unsolved Mysteries" arrived, and the county was ready for them. As he was pulling the chests up, one of the chests opened and the gold spilled to the bottom but he got four chests.When the person who wrote the story in the eighties tried to find the bartender on Washington Island to confirm the story he was long gone. 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. There are treasure stories around us 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. The best part are the flow charts, five pages with arrows pointing to what may have happened next. Shipwreck Island (Shipwreck Island, #1) by S.A. Bodeen | Goodreads Poverty Island Lighthouse, Michigan at Lighthousefriends.com enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, I hate spam, its just an automated system that lets you know there is a new post, You must be logged in to post a comment, Enter your Email to receive new posts notifications, If you like this post click on the buttons to share with your friends, Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend, The Mystery of Poverty Islands Sunken Treasure Chests, The Lonely Lighthouse Keeper and the Dahlia, The Two Sisters and the Magical Little Island Near Detroit. Nevertheless, Bennett is quite confident that he is very close to the treasure. Various seasons available now on Hulu. True or not, the legend lives on for those who believe it and are brave enough to attempt the search in the cold and often stormy weather. You can unsubscribe at any time. However I believe it to be factual regardless of what the naysayers say. The ship was constructed and launched on Cayuga Creek on the Niagara River as a seven-cannon, 45-ton barque. An update on the Poverty Island Treasure legend. Located on the north-west shore of the Ionian island of Zakynthos (also known as Zante), Navagio Beach, previously known as Agios Giorgos, became an impromptu ship graveyard when the MV Panayiotis washed up on its shores in October 1980. In 1984 he found an anchor. But we just wanted to let our community consider this mystery. 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. Marty Lagina and Matty Blake return to the eerie . Had some really wonderful stories coming back from trips where he stared into the Gates of Hell with water walls on both sides and lightning crashing all around. The leader of our scuba diving club dove many times looking for the gold with no luck. The ship lays upside down in 80 feet of water and rises 25 feet from the bottom. However, Richard believes that there would be no record because the treasure was brought during a clandestine operation. I spent my summers for 57 years snorkeling swimming and fishing in bay de noc. I often wonder if they thought it was round. How Did The World's Most Famous Shipwreck Come To Be? - Culture Trip Learn how your comment data is processed. So coming in the back door was longer, but had higher odds of succeeding. His belief in the treasure has been bolstered by Steve Harrington, a maritime historian, but another historian, Chuck Feltner, debates the veracity of the treasure since there is no record of a ship sinking there despite flawlessly kept records of ships lost on Lake Michigan. Similarly, in 2014, treasure hunters Kevin Dykstra and Frederick J. Monroe claimed the discovery of the wreck near Frankfort, Michigan. Maps of shipwrecks - Vivid Maps Later, a lighthouse keeper's son, Carly Jessen, watched men on a salvage boat searching for something in the water offof Poverty Island, and the young man bet that it had something to do with the gold. It was explained that by using local talent, production costs could be lowered and the community had a part in the project. Manitoulin's most famous maritime mystery: Still unfathomable after all She was 26 feet wide and 105 feet long and stood 60 feet off the bottom. Shipwrecks is a short novel translated from the Japanese by Mark Ealey. One legend in particular has claimed that, just offshore of Poverty Island, there are five chests stuffed with gold bullion and coins, which would today be worth more than $400 million. Today, Richard Bennett feels confident that he will succeed where others have failed. My grandfather spent half of his life after coming home from WWII with a friend in Benzonia, MI. But then it becomes clear that this is the book's major flaw. Thousands of vessels from canoes to car ferries and steamers to modern ore boats have sailed these "inland seas" and unknown numbers still remain - settled on the lakes bottom in watery graves. We had dived the Clark a hundred time and still lost it for a while. The area is very treacherous. There were considerable changes to the story line for the sake of TV time constraints. Mr Libert said: There are numerous theories as to what happened to The Griffin. Poverty Island lighthouse. Unsolved Mysteries Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. May he rest in peace. The State of Michigan continues to prevent an in-depth excavation. The Light was permanently deactivated and abandoned in 1995 and the old discarded lantern room laying on the ground was retrieved and used to restore the Sand Point Lighthouse ( you can see my post HERE). The Griffin shipwreck at the bottom of Lake Michigan. 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. 10. Treasure Hunter Probes Murky Depths Of Lake Michigan With PM-Lost How deep is it?? The most popular origin for the story of Poverty Islands lost treasure begins in 1863, during the American Civil War. Door County has long been a magnet for famous people who have sought itsnatural beauty and long, lovely coastline. Salvager Fights State of Michigan I wish you good luck in your endeavor. More info. News", Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poverty_Island&oldid=1140233398, Upper Peninsula, Michigan geography stubs, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 03:07. It also lies in Michgan (the state) waters. [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. It is near tiny Poverty Island in northwestern Lake Michigan and about 50 feet below the water's surface. 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. Exposed timbers of the Twelvemile Island wreck (NPS Photo) SEAC and the Submerged Resources Center (SRC), in conjunction with the Slave Wrecks Project, were part of a federal, state, university, and private sector team assessing a reporter's claim that the wreck of the Clotilda - the last known ship to bring enslaved people to the U.S. from Africa -had been discovered near Mobile. Several diagnostic artifacts were recovered from the site . The SS Savannah has been lost since 1821 but a piece of the wreck may "Many of them didn't even know that an island was there," said coastguard Charles Cormier . La Salle named the shipLe Griffon, after the mythical creature whose body of a lion has the head and wings of an eagle. Shipwreck discovery may lead to Great Lakes treasure - USA TODAY A few years later, a group of investors in Chicago raised $50,000 to try their luck at Poverty Island. The ship's name is sometimes converted to an English spelling "The Griffin" but in French, it's Le Griffon. (Image: Great Lakes Exploration Group via Pen News ). Le Griffon. 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. French archeologists who visited the site at the Liberts' invitation have said they believe the couple is on to something; they even staked a claim for France for whatever wreckage turns up, Steve and Kathie Libert say in their 2021 book, "Le Griffon and the Huron Islands," published by Traverse City's Mission Point Press (about $26in softcover and$35in newly released hardcover). Join MU Plus+ and get exclusive shows and extensions & much more! More than 14,400 migrants have arrived in Italy by boat this year so far, compared to 5,470 in the same period last . In 1929, a ship passing nearby allegedly snagged something deep down in the water, which when dredged up proved to be the legendary string of chests. of Michigan intervened under, inter alia, the Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987 (the ASA), 43 U.S.C. So you spent 35 years looking for this treasure, are you any closer to finding it? I new book will be available in a few weeks, Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. . Ive heard this story many times. Or my brother Jim. In 2001, a famous Great Lakes shipwreck hunter, Steve Libert, claimed her wreck in Northern Lake Michigan near Poverty Island. At the time, one of the favorite routes of vessels making their runs was to take the Poverty Island Passage, between Poverty and the Gull Islands, as it was considered to be a sort of short cut, although this was balanced out by the dangers caused by the many shoals of the area. Suddenly, a large image appeared on their sonar. The Liberts' book, Le Griffon and the Huron Islands - 1679: Our Story of Exploration and Discovery, is . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. By some accounts the ship was discovered by Union forces and sunk near Poverty Island, while others say it was dashed upon the rocks while attempting to make a misguided night run, and yet another version says they were attacked by French pirates. Since its disappearance, it has been widely considered the Holy Grail for Great Lakes shipwreck hunters. It is only a speck of rocky land just east of Wisconsin, surrounded by the chilly waters of Lake Michigan. M - Great Lakes Shipwreck Files If they survive 100 years, they probably have an 80, 85% chance of being true. Submarines- Got one too hard to deploy and recover in rough water. But alas, lifes priorities and age dissolves their dream. The most popular origin for the story of Poverty Island's lost treasure begins in 1863, during the American Civil War. Never give upand God go with you! Summer Island in Lake Michigan, but never reached its destination. How can you challenge a mans mettle any better than on an operation like this? Hopefully in the way the actual history may have unfolded. Reuters. One day, Karl would claim that he had seen a salvage ship out in the water, allegedly excitedly working on dredging something up from the depths, after which the crews could be heard loudly rejoicing, but a storm would come in and sink the ship to send them and whatever they had found back to the bottom. 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. Scuba Diving Haunted Shipwrecks | Scuba Diving The ship disappeared with all six crew members and its cargo of furs on its return trip . They allegedly reached out to none other than the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte III to request funds. Now they're retired in Charlevoix, a four-hour boat ride from the dive site that they hope will someday disprove thenaysayers. Michigan Shipwrecks Part II If there' s treasure keeping cool among the rocks, boulders, and shipwrecks that litter the underwater mud around Poverty Island, it has led a charmed or perhaps cursedlife. The Liberts arewell-known in northern Michigan for their decades-long campaign to find the Griffon, but this week's talk is Steve's first appearance in metro Detroit. That sounds a little like maybe he found it and just sort of slipped away. David Bagdon This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. A few years later, Karl Jesson, the son of the Poverty Island lighthouse keeper, reported watching a salvage crew that seemed to make an exciting discovery in Lake Michigan just before their ship was sunk by a storm. 2023 Copyright. Poverty Island is a small island in the U.S. state of Michigan. 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. It is available here. 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. As long as I have those things working for me, Ill probably continue to do it. If they survive 100 years, they probably have an 80, 85% chance of being true.. After the discovery of the bowsprit, a 10-year legal battle with the State of Michigan prevented explorers from excavating the rest of the ship. Despite the lack of a paper trail, the legend of the secret shipment has persisted. BIA Protects BLM's Poverty Island | Indian Affairs The PADI 50 year Contributions Award 2016 "That's when I learned about his attachment to the Griffon, and really to the Great Lakes and all shipwrecks," she said. Only time will tell. All in all, the locals were impressed by how friendly the Hollywood people were. Shipwrecks of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore - ArcGIS StoryMaps In the early 1920s,a freighter ran aground on Poverty Island. You are now leaving Unsolved.com and heading to our shop at. Poverty Island: Tips and Information - trek.zone 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. Bennett is the author of: 1) Deep Quest The Entry 2) The Sunken Treasure of Poverty Island 3) Island of Bones and the award recipient of: Some is better than none, and you sleep well at night. Poverty Island is a small island in the U.S. state of Michigan. Better to make it known and use the courts to reap a reward. The Curse of Oak Island: SHIPWRECK UNCOVERED During Deep Sea - YouTube ON LAKE MICHIGAN NEAR POVERTY ISLAND, Mich. - In a remote part of northern Lake Michigan, divers have started looking at an underwater pit, hoping to find the resting place of the Griffin, a . 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]. Decades after the 1933 shipwreck and Behrens's death in 1959, Steven Libert, president of Fairport, learned of the legend of the lost gold. April 30, 2019. The Owen's sinking took the akes freighter that sank near Outer Island in the Apostle Islands, Lake Superior, in the Mataafa Storm on 28 November 1905. According to the legend, Napoleon Bonaparte was desperate to assist the South during the Civil War. Acouple in Charlevoix think they've found it. Since I began my latest job Ive been interested in it more as we have tech available that can discriminate gold returns from other metals. Asked about the couple's claims, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources was quick to dismiss them. The show would be dramatic enough, but in the end, it came down to the same question: is the legend true? Clues in the Search for a Sunken Ship, Lost in the 1600s 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. Legend says the Island is the final resting place of four chests of gold once sent by the French to the Confederate Army during the Civil War. You must log in or register to reply here. I'd be more than happy to help. They want what theyve found preserved. People are dumb. All Rights Reserved. Where would we be if we didnt challenge the legends and the unknown? The keelson structure with mast steps, paired floors and futtocks, and ceiling timbers all suggest a sailing craft, probably a schooner or schooner-barge, that was built and operated during the last half of the 1800s. (Image: Great Lakes Exploration Group via Pen News). Sunday, 5th March 2023See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. The PADI DIVING Excellence Award 1994 Divers reported that while looking up toward the . Rrrrrrrrrr/shiver me timbers/another treasure story/ Im hopeing this ones true/all I can say is/PLEASE/PLEASE/BE CAREFUL/Ive personally saved 5 children from drowning / including myself twice/true story/ MAY GOD BE WITH YOU /and PLEASE donate/some of the findings to /ST. Upcoming Beyond Oak Island and The Curse of Oak Island episodes Mr Libert explained the discovery had been long in the making, sparked by a history teacher when he was still at school. Never found, the island is a place of intrigue. Le Griffon: The Great Lakes' greatest mystery - Detroit Free Press The Liberts say the wreck lies near tiny, uninhabited Poverty Island, part of a chain of islands that runs southwest into Lake Michigan from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. What to Know About the Mysterious Coronado Shipwreck 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. Poverty Island Treasure - Unsolved Mysteries 400-year-old dress found in shipwreck sheds light on plot to pawn crown It's an exciting story of missing treasurepassed down through time, a tale that is intriguing and, well, maybetrue. The Riches of Poverty Island: With Matty Blake, Robert Clotworthy, Robert C. Kreipke, Rick Lagina. Poor guy. What if more than $400 million in gold is still sitting in the cold water just off Poverty Island waiting for a brave soul to discover it? This might seem like wishful thinking until you realize that in that era France coveted the steady cotton crop they received from the South, something it was thought would be disrupted with a Union victory. Shipwreck Beach, known locally as Navagio Beach, is located on the North West corner of Zakynthos Island. "Kevin got suited up," said Monroe. Some say that the native Indians boarded the ship and killed the crew. The Sunken Treasure of Poverty Island with Richard Bennett "Kids should know, this is the guy who claimed all the land that became the Louisiana Purchase. They just sat there (on gun carriages). I've got to get my finances in order though first to divulge into this mission Keep the info coming.