Workhorse in the Wilderness

Lake Superior is the largest, the deepest, the wildest, the coldest, and the cleanest of the five Great Lakes. Some people would also call it the greatest, particularly local residents who live along its long shorelines and proudly proclaim, “Five Great Lakes – one, Superior.” The most famous shipwreck in all the Great Lakes also lies deep in Lake Superior – the wreck of the freighter, Edmund Fitzgerald, lost with all 29 hands in a violent November storm in 1975, its name made immortal by an internationally popular ballad by Canadian folksinger Gordon Lightfoot.

Ironically, in light of these many superlatives, Lake Superior has the smallest number of shipwrecks – only about 600, while each of the other four Great Lakes has at least twice that number. The main reason for this is the fact that shipping activity on Lake Superior was nearly nil until the discovery of mineral deposits in the 1840’s, mainly copper and iron ore, and the construction and opening of the canal and system of locks at Sault Ste. Marie (pronounced “soo saint marie”) in 1855, providing access to ships already established on the other lakes.

While comparatively few in number, Lake Superior shipwrecks have been well documented, and even better publicized, in park and preserve areas such as Isle Royale, the Apostle Islands, Whitefish Point, Munising, and the Keweenaw Peninsula, attracting underwater explorers worldwide. To scuba divers, the very sound of Superior’s name conjures visions of vigorously cold, but indisputably clear, water, plus legendary, incredibly preserved shipwrecks. Lake Superior is viewed by many as the diving Mecca of the Midwest.

But not all of the manmade wonders of Lake Superior’s underwater realm are found in those well-defined regions. Littleknown Gargantua Harbor, remotely nestled on the province of Ontario’s eastern Lake Superior shoreline, is a glistening wilderness gem, well worth the