Lac La Belle: Uncovering A 150-Year-Old Shipwreck Mystery

More than 150 years after it disappeared beneath the waves, something lost to Lake Michigan has finally been found.

And it’s the kind of discovery that makes you stop and say, “Oh wow.”

A 150-Year-Old Mystery Beneath Lake Michigan

Searchers have located the wreck of the Lac La Belle, a luxury steamer that sank during a violent gale in October 1872. The ship had left Milwaukee bound for Grand Haven, Michigan, when powerful waves overwhelmed it in the dark of night.

Around 5 a.m., the captain ordered lifeboats lowered. The ship went down stern-first. Eight people lost their lives when one lifeboat capsized. The rest made it to shore along the Wisconsin coast.

And then the lake kept its secret for more than a century.

If you want to see what 150 years underwater looks like, there’s video that shows the wreck resting on the lakebed.

The Long Search for the Lac La Belle

Illinois shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn has been searching for the Lac La Belle since 1965. Nearly 60 years later, he and his team finally located it about 20 miles offshore between Racine and Kenosha.

Using side-scan sonar, they found the ship after just two hours on the water in 2022. The official announcement was delayed while the team created a 3D model of the wreck.

What the Wreck Looks Like Today

The exterior is now covered in invasive quagga mussels, and the upper cabins are gone. But remarkably, the hull remains intact, and parts of the oak interior are still preserved.

Lake Michigan is believed to hold thousands of undiscovered shipwrecks. This one just happened to be waiting 150 years to be found.

You can read the full story from ABC 7 Chicago here.