Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve

Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve protects 376 square miles of Lake Superior bottomlands in Whitefish Bay around Whitefish Point, Michigan. Created in 1987, it safeguards shipwrecks in one of the Great Lakes’ most dangerous shipping corridors, where cold, clear water has preserved many wrecks exceptionally well. Navigation hazards along this shore intensified as traffic grew after the St. Marys River lock opened in 1855, and at least 240 ships were lost here between 1816 and 1975, including the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. The preserve also marked a shift in Michigan from artifact removal toward conserving wrecks in place as cultural resources, and today it contains twenty-three known shipwrecks.

Brimley, Michigan · United States