According to the legend, the French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte III, secretly dispatched a shipment of gold across the Atlantic to Canada. 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. Shipwreck Beach, known locally as Navagio Beach, is located on the North West corner of Zakynthos Island. "I've been interested in this ship since I was 14," he said in an interview in Charlevoix last week. And dont even get me started on the whole God thing, singular or plural. Thats the challenge. the souls of the sukin ship dont want the trezer found and lotid so the souls 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. Join MU Plus+ and get exclusive shows and extensions & much more! (1,509 ft 2 in) off Poverty Island, Michigan on 21 April 1984. "Adventures on Forty-one Islands: Island No. Will Richard Bennett ever find the Poverty Island treasure? No new facts were discovered during filming,nor was any gold. Body Count Rises on 400-Year-Old 'Murder Island' Shipwreck. 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. Some say that the native Indians boarded the ship and killed the crew. of that ship will never leat that trezer leave the merky deps of the water By early 1864 the Union blockade was so strong only one in three blockade runners made it though. 27.07 - MU Plus+ Podcast - Flames of Prophecy, 29.07 - MU Podcast - Contract with the Goddess, 29.06 - MU Podcast - Italian Disco Abductions, 27.06 - MU Plus+ Podcast - Secret Vaults of Time, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Queen's Ghost, Small Lake Monster, Space Caterpillar and More Mysterious News Briefly, A Haunted Book and the Most Haunted Bookshop There Is. This Delta County, Michigan location article is a stub. Their findings are detailed in the 2021 book Le Griffon and the Huron Islands 1679: Our Story of Explorations and Discovery. Libert discovered what he believes to be remains of the vessel during dives off Poverty Island in 1984 and 1985. Acouple in Charlevoix think they've found it. It wouldn't be the only supposed lost treasure said to lurk down in the depths of the Great lakes and it surely makes one wonder. I really hope you find them. The Liberts' book, Le Griffon and the Huron Islands - 1679: Our Story of Exploration and Discovery, is . "Many of them didn't even know that an island was there," said coastguard Charles Cormier . More: Travel the Great Lakes on a floating mansion with new Viking cruise ships, More: Report: Recycling in Michigan reaches 19.3%, up 35.4% in 3 years. Shipwrecks is a short novel translated from the Japanese by Mark Ealey. This is where different versions of the story begin to branch off from the main narrative. Biology, nature, and cryptozoology still remain Brent Swancers first intellectual loves. Having a museum historian carbon-date it to the same era left them eager for the adventure. It is near tiny Poverty Island in northwestern Lake Michigan and about 50 feet below the water's surface. The PADI DIVING Excellence Award 1994 Furious winds and lightning-swift currents have spawned a graveyard of sunken ships and over the years, intriguing tales of lost treasure. You are using an out of date browser. Poverty Island is a small island in the U.S. state of Michigan. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was used in the lantern room to produce a flashing red light at a focal plane of seventy-eight feet above the lake. Courtesy Steve Libert "Probably 99 percent of that . The Griffon had seven cannons, according to old French records, Kathie said. At 3 a.m. on September 19, 1933, a sudden wind blew the vessel onto the rocky shore of Lake Michigan's Poverty Island. Thisship was the first decked vessel to sail the upper Great Lakes of a scale and design in keeping with 17th Century shipbuilding.". Nov 01, 2022 | 41m 57s | tv-pg | CC. The Mystery of New York's Renegade Subway Psychic, Forget About What We Know About Roswell: It's What's Missing About the Case That We Need to Look For, Archeologists Discover Another Secret Corridor Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, Why and How John Keels The Mothman Prophecies Got its Name, "What's the Creepiest Thing You've Ever Seen or Heard?" How deep is it?? find one that is plausible for you and do the research. Whether the Liberts found the Griffonor merely stumbled on the watery wreckage of some unidentified old ship, their book and the saga of their search open a door to the fascinating earliest days of European exploration inthe Great Lakes, before the founding of Detroit in 1701. The ship was left stranded there in 1981, on the beach known as Valtaki. Submarines- Got one too hard to deploy and recover in rough water. . Fact; The legend first appeared in print in 1907 or 1910. 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. At 3 a.m. on September 19, 1933, a sudden wind blew the vessel onto the rocky shore of Lake Michigan's Poverty Island. Reports by French explorers and missionaries said Native Americans told them they saw the ship go down with all hands. Michigan Brothers Finally Unearth 220-Year-Old Secret Hidden In Oak Island. Richard Bennett, a professional diver and author, has spent more than 20 years and $100,000 of his own money searching for the sunken fortune: Any story that survives 100 years has to have some validity to it. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. Unless it can be shown that someone built a ship on the Upper Great Lakes before 1790 that includes all these characteristics-then this wreck is La Salle's "Griffon." This year, the Discovery Channel aired an episode of their series, 'Expedition Unknown,' filmed in part at the Mississagi site of the wreck off Manitoulin Island. In the 1860s, this place was in the middle of a huge boom in maritime shipping and commerce, as the area has many steel mills and was connected to the booming Peninsula Railroad. As for the Griffon? As long as I have those things working for me, Ill probably continue to do it. After a long courtship and college degrees, they married in 1981. There are treasure stories around us Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. Prominent historians and shipwreck experts in Michigan doubt the Liberts' claim. Date: 1863 Or my brother Jim. You are now leaving Unsolved.com and heading to our shop at. Sailors in the 20s almost had the chests. poverty island shipwreck. 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. 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. It looked like a ship sitting upright on the lake bottom. This wreck is unusual for being buried entirely in the sandit's now stranded about a quarter mile away from shore. Those have been around since the story broke into the diving industry by Skin Diver Magazine in 1969. Often, we likely went over the same spot or at least part of the same spot. Asked about the couple's claims, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources was quick to dismiss them. Marty Lagina and Matty Blake return to the eerie . May I get to know you sir. Spending years building long running, fast boats he could outrun the storm in, once getting to the island from Traverse City area. 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. But how could $400 million in gold end up on the bottom of Lake Michigan? According to Mr and Mrs Libert, The Griffin is a good match for wreckage found in 2018 near Poverty Island, Lake Michigan. A bowsprit discovered a few miles away in 2001 is another part of the . At any rate it was lost. When aUnion 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 used by the Union Army, with the intention of retrieving it later. All, I am currently finishing a screenplay on the Poverty Island Gold. 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. At the Rochester Hills Public Library, which also serves the neighboring city of Rochester and Oakland Township, Community Relations Manager Tiffany Stozicki said she hoped that Steve Libert's talkwill pique interest not only in shipwrecksbut in the broader subjectsof what this region was like, and who lived here, a century and a half before Michigan became a state. (Image: Great Lakes Exploration Group via Pen News ). They just sat there (on gun carriages). Support of that kind coming through the North was not probable. Its deep. 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. It is near tiny Poverty Island in northwestern Lake Michigan and about 50 feet below the water's surface. Shipwrecks. What about one of those small manned submarines?? I've got to get my finances in order though first to divulge into this mission Keep the info coming. Theyve vowed to take nothing atthe dive site that is, nothing butunderwater photos and video. In 1679, La Salle ordered his ship built in the wilderness above the great falls, launchingLe Griffon five months later in early May. 1,517 people lost their lives. Even went so far as to buy a 2-man submarine in 1964 from a company in Fort Wayne called Nautilette, for the search. Extra Notes: This case originally ran on the November 11, 1994 episode. For at least one determined treasure hunter it is very real indeed, and time will only tell if there is anything to it or not. For students of history, of any age, the Liberts' book is a good example of using primary source documents old maps and woodcuts from centuries-old books; records left by Jesuit missionaries, who traveled through the area of the Griffon's last sightings in 1670-1672; and thediaries of expedition leader Robert Cavelier de la Salle and of the exploring party's missionary priest, Father LouisHennepin. Cleanup the TREASURE Hunter's House in The Forest. It's a win-win. La Salle never found out what happened to his ship. "Especially going back that far, it's really hard to prove things. 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). Wisconsin. We are only talking about adding weeks to delivery time. Investigations: None If walking toward the condos from the hotel, the El Camino Tower is the furthest oceanfront building south in the complex. I live on the garden peninsula a few miles north of poverty island and have always been intrigued by the story. Fee will invest in luck. Covid microchip developer says there's no stopping roll-out, Covid warning as another new variant with '46 mutations' infects 12. Results: Unsolved. 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. They then set the ship on fire. VIRTUAL MUSEUM Shipwrecks: A Deep Look Lost & Found Unsolved Mysteries Artifact Collection. They did manage to find chains diving on a ledge about 80 down. Those have been around since the story broke into the diving industry by Skin Diver Magazine in 1969. What about that guy from escanba, that looked for it, and then retired in Florida. RELATED: Traveling Back: Witnesses watch bridge lift car, police search for driver, RELATED: Traveling Back: WWI vets honored fellow doughboys to the last man. Nevertheless, Bennett is quite confident that he is very close to the treasure. 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. Brent Swancer is an author and crypto expert living in Japan. Reuters. Despite that belief, there is a story that a group of sailors might have accidentally snagged one of the trunks in 1929. There are several theories of where the chests came from, one of them being, Jesse Strang the King of Beaver Island and the leader of a Mormoncolony on Beaver Island with the gold was collected from his followers. The ship disappeared with all six crew members and its cargo of furs on its return trip . 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. A 400-year-old silk dress discovered in a shipwreck off the Dutch coast has shed new light on a daring top-secret mission to pawn the crown jewels on the eve of the English civil war. Poverty Island is a small island in the U.S. state of Michigan. When we started it was dead-reckoning each time we went out. More Controversy on the Roswell Affair: An Alien Accident? Without dreams life would be pretty boring. 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. Ferries to Zakynthos run 7 times per day between 5:30am and 10:30pm and cost . Sunday, 5th March 2023See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. I have no problem that you are using the underwater shots, but I would like a photo/video by Richard T. Bennett tag. The Poverty Island Treasure story has been arranged and rearranged with the same slim two sentences or at most a few paragraphs. Dimitrios Shipwreck, Mani peninsula, Peloponnese. Now, the program was on its way toDoor County. The Liberts dispute that statement, pointing to their years of studying all they could find about the construction of 17th-century French ships, much of which they summarize andillustratein their book. I new book will be available in a few weeks, Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. That's a lot of our country," Steve Libert said. 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. "Kids should know, this is the guy who claimed all the land that became the Louisiana Purchase. 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. Various seasons available now on Hulu. Best wishes to Mr. Bennett and crew. The original story from the 1980s tells of a bartender from Washington Island that dove many times also looking for the five chests. Luck is as important as working capital. Today, Richard Bennett feels confident that he will succeed where others have failed. 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 started with a junior high teacher, talking about early European explorers. . In June 2019, further misfortune befell the 200-acre island, which was struck by on-and-off fires throughout the land. "They weren't locked down. 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 ship was built in Ireland and was considered to be "unsinkable.". The SS Ira H. Owen was a Great Lakes freighter that sank near Outer Island in the Apostle Islands, Lake Superior, in the Mataafa Storm on 28 November 1905.She was loaded with 116,000 bushels of barley which was considered a "light load". There is a reason why this book is accruate if not so well definded. The island is within Delta County in Lake Michigan and is home to the Poverty Island Light . 10. By Michael Greshko. Archaeologists have discovered a new communal grave tied to an infamous and bloody 1629 mutiny of Murder Island. How can you challenge a mans mettle any better than on an operation like this? 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. poverty island shipwreck. Or, a Top Secret Human Experiment Gone Wild? It also lies in Michgan (the state) waters. Never give upand God go with you! Carbon dating of the bowsprit estimated an age range within a year of The Griffins sinking in 1679. I believe it is true. Only the daring apply. Mr Libert hopes to find a cannon, like the above, on the wreck of The Griffin. Their hope is to prove that this is the ship that went missing for 343 years. Hahahahahaha But there was no ship below, only hard-packed claylike sediment extending to bedrock 20 feet down. He has identified a debris scatter in 40-60 feet of water, adjacent to the shore of Poverty Island, which includes planks, a cable, barrels, and several areas of magnetic declination. Often considered the first ship lost on the Great Lakes, little was known about it until shipwreck hunters Stevie and Kathie Libert set to work. Covert projects rely on the uncommon. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Some, maybe more than some, might admit they didnt believe it. It is believed to be the location of a treasure of five chests filled with gold bullion and coins worth today around $400 million. Poverty Island Lighthouse, U.S. Coast Guard Archives, PovertyIsland is located in northern lake Michigan and one of several islands marking the entrance to Big Bay De Noc and Green Bay, as in the bay in lake Michigan, not the city. Father Louis Hennepin said it was lost in a violent storm. 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. Dear Richard, Ive also have read, years ago, in newspapers about the five sunken treasure chests linked together in bottom of Lake Michigan. 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 . This particular drone video offers unique insight into the island's rugged natural . Are 5 chests of gold under Lake Michigan? This video by Steve and Kathie Libert is from the location where they found the wreckage from the Le Griffon. Fact; The chests were not hooked by the salvage crew that were searching in the 1930's no matter what you may have seen on NBC's Unsolved Mystries. Its like being the first man to climb a mountain. Suddenly, a storm descended on them, almost as if to deny them the treasure. The Poverty Island Treasure story has been arranged and rearranged with the same slim two sentences or at most a few paragraphs. You can unsubscribe at any time. Because the odds are always against you. As he walked the room, he said, 'Who knows? So coming in the back door was longer, but had higher odds of succeeding. I often wonder if they thought it was round. Poverty Island is a small island in the U.S. state of Michigan. Subscribe for new episodes announcements, latest news, featured cases, and more! Bennett has devised an ingenious underwater sled to comb the murky . . A hard-luck ship: 6 lives were lost in a boiler explosion, 1871; sank in Welland Canal, 1872; major fires in 1880, 1892, 1898, 1899 and 1906, sank on Lake Superior [Portage Canal] in 1906. . During its voyage, the ship was discovered and chased. After a few days, filming was concluded. 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.. People are dumb. 2101-2106, and filed a motion to dismiss. One could hardly walk into a bank with hundreds of pounds of gold and cash it in. . But we just wanted to let our community consider this mystery. Poverty Island is currently owned by the federal government. But then again, what if? 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. As long as you dont take advantage of someone either by money or reputation I dont see how it can hurt. Location: near Poverty Island, . Maybe somebody will find that ship someday,'and he touched me on the shoulder.". Half an hour later, the ship listed to its port side, and passengers trapped below . They must have a source where it could be integrated into a normal flow of gold supplies. Mr Libert said: There are numerous theories as to what happened to The Griffin. Door County is also known for are shipwrecks, Death's Door and legends Also available on YouTube with Dennis Farina. 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. "I'm an independent historian, and I thought our patrons would be interested," said Stozicki, who is president of the Rochester-Avon Historical Society. Some is better than none, and you sleep well at night. The heartless tides of Lake Michigan had once again reclaimed the Poverty Island treasure. still it would be great to find them since they are civil war era. The Griffin shipwreck at the bottom of Lake Michigan. Behrens and his crew of four escaped and took refuge on Poverty Island. 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. Archive of past shows: 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2000 1999 1998 1997 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. Is a sunken fortune hidden in the bottom of Lake Michigan? 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. 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. The story was convincing enough that several treasure hunters had tried and failed to find the reputed five or more chests of gold supposedly located somewhere on the islands coastline. The orginal 8 minute program was cut to 6 minutes because the program was moved into their 200th Anniversary Show. People are fascinated by shipwrecks and the Great Lakes," Stozicki said. But off Poverty Island, a dot of land in northern Lake Michigan near Escanaba, French-Canadian brigands attacked the treasure ship and sank it, the legend says. The Liberts' book also uses interpretative history color photosshot above water and below; Kathie's line drawings that depict the Griffon buffeted by the storm that sank it, as well as showing details of its likely hull design, and numerous contemporary maps of northern Lake Michigan. 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. I almost came over to your house, to get your papers on the treasure. Its deep. Up it came, just seconds away, a fortune in gold, when suddenly the chains broke. Ive always wanted to pull my sidescan around there a bit as it has phenomenal definition. The ship lays upside down in 80 feet of water and rises 25 feet from the bottom. At the couples condo, they showed the Free Press their underwater metal detectors, a wall of research books, and a sculpture of a Griffon the French coat of arms symbol for which the ill-fated ship was named as they made plans for Steve to dive again this summer. Both the Door County Maritime Museum and the Wisconsin Maritime Museum inManitowoc were utilized for historical aspects of the story. That sounds a little like maybe he found it and just sort of slipped away. All in all, the locals were impressed by how friendly the Hollywood people were. Summer Island in Lake Michigan, but never reached its destination. The ship disappeared with all six crew members and its cargo of furs on its return trip of her maiden voyage that same year. Door County has long been a magnet for famous people who have sought itsnatural beauty and long, lovely coastline. I wrote a screenplay about a scuba accident and it was the thing sleepless nights are made of.