Bennett has devised an ingenious underwater sled to comb the murky . Poor guy. Even with modern search equipment it took wreck hunters many years to find the Captain Lawrence and she was a schooner length ship. You can unsubscribe at any time. 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. They pursued lifelong careers in Washington, D.C. Steve in Naval intelligence, Kathie withher own marketing firm but visited northern Michigan summer after summer. That s interesting. The area is very treacherous. still it would be great to find them since they are civil war era. I've got to get my finances in order though first to divulge into this mission Keep the info coming. If you have finances why not do your own search. The Liberts say the wreck lies neartiny, uninhabited Poverty Island, part of a chain of islands that runssouthwestinto Lake Michigan from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. READ MORE:Nostradamus makes chilling 2022 'prediction' for EU collapse. Cargo is scattered on the bottom with visibility typically ranging from 5 to 25 feet. Its an individual achievement. They want what theyve found preserved. Without dreams life would be pretty boring. The keelson structure with mast steps, paired floors and futtocks, and ceiling timbers all suggest a sailing craft, probably a schooner or schooner-barge, that was built and operated during the last half of the 1800s. Is the treasure of Poverty Island real, or is it just myth and legend? All Rights Reserved. The Liberts haveno children, so, in effect, the Griffon is their child. 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. That's a lot of our country," Steve Libert said. I really hope you find them. The database currently has a location of 14,672 ships. 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. Contact me if your interested Mr Bennett. Door County is also known for are shipwrecks, Deaths Doorand legends. The island is within Delta County in Lake Michigan and is home to the Poverty Island Light . Until that day, Lake Michigan will keep its grip on the five wooden treasure chests hidden far beneath its surface. As for the Griffon? History: Richard Bennett, a professional diver and author of 'The Poverty Island Sunken Treasure Brief', has spent over forty-five years and $100,000 of his own money searching for a Civil War treasure in Lake Michigan. Likewise, they claim a bowsprit discovered a few miles away in 2001 is another part of the vessel. The wreck was found near Poverty Island on Lake Michigan, almost 350 years after it vanished. Steve Harrington, a maritime historian, is convinced the treasure is still located off the coast of Poverty Island: I think thats one of the most intriguing things about this legend is that its consistent in that the loss is always at Poverty Island. Im a commercial fishermen and own many boats that could be very useful in the search. There have been numerous quote-unquote discoveries of the Griffon that were neverproven," Adkins said. had a conversation with a salvage captain out of green bay many years ago whos father hunted for this treasure. According to this tale, the Emperor arranged a secret shipment of gold bullion and coins to be brought overland through Canada and loaded onto a ship to be sent down the St. Lawrence River and into Lake Michigan en route to Chicago, where it was to be brought overland down South. Id love to join Mr Bennett and help with the salvage, Im. sure some funds would help with equipment. Subscribe Today! It was built with the intention of finding a route through North Americas Great Lakes to reach China and Japan. Beat of luck be safe and careful. 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. 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. Links: Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! There are many new facts that appear to support the legend. La Salle and Father Louis Hennepin set out on the Le Griffon's maiden voyage on August 7, 1679 with a crew of 32, sailing across Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan through uncharted waters that only canoes had previously explored. They were true, now add the problem finding a few small chests in a mile square area. Mr Libert will continue to search the bed of Lake Michigan using non-intrusive techniques, with the ultimate aim of finding a cannon with the date stamped on it. The Society's website, viewed last week, hadthree paragraphs about the Griffon, including the sentence: "In 2001, a famous Great Lakes shipwreck hunter, Steve Libert, claimed her wreck in northern Lake Michigan near Poverty Island." This is where different versions of the story begin to branch off from the main narrative. The wreck believed to be the Griffin was found near Poverty Island on Lake Michigan. Thanks for the offer, however I have never taken any money for our search for the Poverty Island Treasure search and after 50 years of being involved I dont think its in the future. The legend of Poverty Island gold had long been told among those who followed maritime stories and enjoyedtales about lost treasure. Like all adventures in treasure hunting there is a lack of funding. Aerial shots were taken by helicopter and the acting took place on Cana Island. If they survive 100 years, they probably have an 80, 85% chance of being true. "Adventures on Forty-one Islands: Island No. Theislandis within Delta County in Lake Michigan and is home to thePoverty IslandLight Station, an abandoned lighthouse which is in disrepair. We're just hoping and praying, if we could find one of those in the sand somewhere, that would prove everything," she said. (The program is free to the public but advance registration is required; search under calendar.rhpl.org, move the cursor to May 12 and click on "Solving the First Great Lakes Maritime Mystery."). 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. Over a period variously estimated at 188 to 137 years, it has eluded platoons of treasure-The view from Poverty Island reveals a vast panorama of water . As long as I have those things working for me, Ill probably continue to do it.. Carbon dating of the bowsprit estimated an age range within a year of The Griffins sinking in 1679. 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. The brief is printed on about 40 pages which would be about 80 pages in a standard book form. Its cold. Is there a fortune worth of gold lying out there just waiting to be found? History: Richard Bennett, a professional diver and . However, Richard believes that there would be no record because the treasure was brought during a clandestine operation. Le Griffon and the Huron Islands 1679: Our Story of Exploration and Discovery was written by Mr and Mrs Libert and published by Mission Point Press in 2021. I live on the garden peninsula a few miles north of poverty island and have always been intrigued by the story. Discovery of the Shipwreck. The town has been Libert's year-round home since his retirement two years ago, and sits 70 miles across Lake Michigan from Poverty Island. Data on another 4,981 ships were . Pounded to pieces, the ship eventually sank. In 1929, a ship passing nearby allegedly snagged something deep down in the water, which when dredged up proved to be the legendary string of chests. The Liberts' book, Le Griffon and the Huron Islands - 1679: Our Story of Exploration and Discovery, is . If walking toward the condos from the hotel, the El Camino Tower is the furthest oceanfront building south in the complex. In an email, a DNR spokesman said the wreckage the Liberts have targeted can't be the Griffon: "Our archeologists review of recently published media images reveals the remains of a shipwreck that features typical late 19th-century Great Lakes shipbuilding materials and methodologies, and scantlings that are entirely too large to be a French colonial vessel. May I get to know you sir. . However I believe it to be factual regardless of what the naysayers say. The distance of 3.8 miles between the bowsprit and main sections highly suggests the Indians did not sink it either, nor did La Salles men mutiny and sink the ship. Again, no Griffin. 'The Poverty Island Treasure Brief' can be found at. It is only a speck of rocky land just east of Wisconsin, surrounded by the chilly waters of Lake Michigan. Luck is as important as working capital. Pounded to pieces, the ship eventually sank. poverty island shipwreck. People are fascinated by shipwrecks and the Great Lakes," Stozicki said. I believe it is true. In the end, America learned about the legend of Poverty Island, yet nothing except the excitement of celebrity really changed. Then you and I can conclude that persevering faith in hoping dreams to come true exists, to the non-believers. Dreamers are also doers, thats also how inventions are born. Reuters. The U.S. Lighthouse Board commissioned a Lighthouse to be built on Poverty island in 1874 using the same design as the Lighthouse on Sturgeon Point near Harrisville on Lake Huron, ( you can read my post HERE) The Light was automated in 1958 and by 1965 the Lantern room at the top of the tower and the lens had been removed and replaced with an exposed electric light. 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. Its cold. In 1929, a group of sailors were said to have snagged the five chests with their anchor. Never forget, mother Michigan can be an unforgiving, raging b*#ch, and they dont call it Poverty Island for nothing Safe journeys, Captain. Results: Unsolved. Father Louis Hennepin said it was lost in a violent storm. I'd be more than happy to help. Case File: Poverty Island Treasure Also reported ashore on Twin River Point . Hopefully they do some side-scan sonar on it and they can get to the Bottom of the story! Fact; The treasure was not been found by the first salvage divers, as has been implied. Date: 1863 Unfortunately for the crew, the anchor chain snapped to send it all tumbling back down into the murk, after which it evaded being found again. Additionally, this particular shipwreck is well-known, can be clearly seen on aerial imagery internet sites, and has been visited by state authorities.". Beacons in the Night, Michigan Lighthouse Chronology, Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. People are dumb. Marty Lagina and Matty Blake return to the eerie waters surrounding Poverty Island in Lake Michigan to search for a lost Civil War treasure worth an estimated $400-million. so i thak people shood stop triying and this is my apinyin, i dont beleve this trezer reley egzists and i havint senn iny thing to shaing my mind. The State of Michigan continues to prevent an in-depth excavation. Travel with Bennett from the Civil War days to Lake Michigans cold and frigid depths in his decade long quest for the reported $300,000,000 in lost gold. The Poverty Island Wildfire ignited June 26, 2016 by a lighting strike on a 200 square-acre island off Michigan's Garden Peninsula in Lake Michigan. Only time will tell. Loran had just came out and was available to the public. Charlevoix diver Steve Libert says he's 99.99% sure he has found the wreckage of a French ship that sank in 1679 in Lake Michigan. If 85 th st went though, we wouldnt t have had a back yard. Many theories and speculations arose and while the date is often wrong (some sources state that the event . They then set the ship on fire. He has said of his search: I am sincere; this is not a hoax. 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.