There are more than 1000 known shipwrecks throughout the
Great Lakes
Today the Clarion lies at the
bottom of Lake Erie in 70 feet of
water, approximately 12 miles from
the shores of Wheatley. It was lost on
December 8, 1909, and 15 of the 21
crew members perished in the
storm. Pieces of machinery, planking
and other distinguishable items can
still be made out a century later. It is
just one of more than 200 shipwrecks
in Lake Erie and more than a
thousand throughout the Great
Lakes. Within 10 miles of Point Pelee
alone there are more than a dozen
different known wrecks.
At one time the Detroit River
was also home to many such relics as
its islands and shallow waters were
difficult to navigate. On the north
shore there is a veritable boneyard of
ships that sank in the river.
According to Peter Berry, the
harbourmaster at the Port of
Windsor, shipwrecks litter the river
but the main channel is void of them
due to river dredging. Before shipwrecks were declared archeological sites, the
dredging pulled up many pieces of sunken vessels and deposited them on the
banks. Today if they ran into one, they