
Old woodcut of Le Griffon
Pick up any book on hauntings of the Great Lakes and you’ll be sure to see the story of the Griffon, Lake Michigan’s first ghost ship. The ghost of the Griffon has haunted the northern waters of Lake Michigan since its disappearance in 1679. It was one of the first ships of its kind to sail the Great Lakes but her first voyage on August 7, 1679, was doomed to be her last. Some say the ship and her crew had been warned by Native Americans about treacherous waters, but the warnings went ignored and the ship went down in the turbulent waters of a stormy Lake Michigan. Ever since then, her ghost has been seen gliding silently across the waters.
Many places are believed to be the home of the Griffon’s final resting place below Lake Michigan. According to maritime historian Frederick Stonehouse’s research, skeletons were found by the light keeper of Manitoulin Island in a cave sometime in the early 1900’s. One of the skeletons was very large and it was said that Luke the Dane, captain of the Griffon, was a very large man. Is it possible the Griffon is somewhere in that area waiting in her watery grave to be discovered? Were the skeletons of the cave the doomed crew of The Griffon? Keep a look out next time you’re in northern Lake Michigan. The ship passing you might not be of this world.
MYSTERY OF GREAT LAKES’ OLDEST SHIPWRECK: Diver won’t quit quest for truth
BY PEGGY WALSH-SARNECKI | DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The mystery of the sailing ship Griffon has tantalized adventurers and historians ever since the vessel, loaded with furs, disappeared in 1679 on its maiden voyage in northern Lake Michigan. It’s the oldest and most elusive of Great Lakes shipwrecks. And Steven Libert, an amateur underwater explorer who says he has been hunting the Griffon most of his adult life, thinks he may have found the wreckage. But for about a year, he has been locked in a legal battle with the State of Michigan over salvage rights to what’s left of a ship he discovered while diving in 2001 near Poverty Island. The sides have forged a delicate truce, however, that apparently will enable Libert to continue work next spring toward unlocking the mystery of his find.
But it’s not a prize that will bring him riches. The Griffon wasn’t carrying treasure, and its cargo of furs is long gone. Its value is historic and, for Libert, intrinsic rather than monetary. “It’s the hunt for it, knowing that obviously you do something better than someone else. It’s competition,” said Libert, 51, a Virginia resident who also owns a home in Charlevoix.
But carbon dating isn’t an exact science because fluctuations in temperature and climate can affect the test results, Demel said. “It can’t pinpoint exactly how old the wood is, but it certainly gives us windows to work from,” he said. The results of the carbon dating give Libert’s discovery a 33% probability of dating to 1679. Those aren’t great odds, but it’s one part of the puzzle, Demel said.
The court battle has stopped Libert from getting back to the site. He says it’s too early to tell whether his find is the Griffon, a French vessel that explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle sent out on its fatal trip with a crew of about five. But Libert points to other evidence, such as ax marks on the wood indicating it was hand hewn. He said it’s possible he found the Griffon’s bowsprit and the rest of the ship is loosely buried behind it. Uncovering the truth has been tricky for Libert, whose real job – the one that pays the bills – is working as an intelligence analyst for the Department of Defense.
Though Christianson is skeptical, Libert is hopeful. “People are finding it hard to believe because it’s been lost for so long,” he said. Libert has been looking for the Griffon for 28 years, researching in libraries and seeking out any other source that might lead to a clue to its whereabouts. Names were different in La Salle’s day and the Griffon’s name can be found different ways – le Griffon, Griffin and Griffon. Along the way, Libert said he has searched for other wrecks, including the Carl D. Bradley, which sank in Lake Michigan in 1958, and the Bonhomme Richard, John Paul Jones’ ship, which sank in the North Sea while battling the British in 1779. “I think individuals have a role to play in exploration, not just big companies or government-supported ventures, but individuals,” Libert said. “It’s just a drive that I think a lot of individuals have, not just myself.” That attitude prompted him to start diving along the Griffon’s likely path. Someone once told Libert that searching for the Griffon was like looking for a needle in a haystack. “I said no, it’s more like looking for a needle in a hay field,” Libert said. Said Demel: “It’s the last frontier on the planet, to look at territory that’s underwater.”For more information, VISIT www.lasalle-griffon.org
Resources –
Stonehouse, Frederick. Haunted Lake Michigan. Duluth: Lake Superior Port Cities Inc., 2006.
News Article retrieved from WZZM.com http://www.wzzm13.com/printfullstory.aspx?storyid=48644 March 23, 2008.
The State of Michigan is not spending any money looking for anything underwater, therefore, they should not reap any benefits of what is found. Similar to a gold stake. Everything should be documented though, for the historic value and future reference points.