Maritime History, Documentation
Nautical Archaeology, Excavation
Manuscripts, Artifact Conservation

A 501.c.(3) Non-Profit Organization
Founded by Ann Merriman, PhD, and Christopher Olson, MA, in July 2005 in St Paul, MN
















Learn more about the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants HERE.
Maritime Heritage Minnesota thanks the People of the State of Minnesota for supporting the MHCG Program. We have been awarded three grants, one already completed, to research Minnesota's finite cultural maritime resources for the benefit of the people of Minnesota.
Please donate to MHM if you can - your donation is tax-deductible. Thanks!
Site Updated - 1 July 2010

MHM's Mission

Maritime Heritage Minnesota was incorporated in July 2005 as a non-profit organization for scientific and educational activities in the State of Minnesota for the documentation, preservation, and conservation of our finite maritime archaeological and cultural resources. Since Minnesota does not have a State Underwater Archaeologist, MHM seeks to fill that gap using a not-for-profit framework that always has the best interest of the artifact in mind.

To assist us in our mission, MHM is interested in acquiring manuscript materials (correspondence, business and yacht club records, photographs), ephemera (postcards, stereoviews), books, and rare books concerning Minnesota's maritime culture. Please donate your collection to us so that we can conserve them, preserve them, arrange them, write finding aids, and make them available to researchers. Collections will also be a learning tool for manuscript processor training.

To further assist us in our mission, please make a tax-deductible donation to MHM. We accept checks and money orders by mail, and to use your credit card, please click the GiveMN ink above. MHM will acknowledge all monetary and in-kind donations in writing for your tax records.

Please e-mail MHM for contact information. Gifts $50 and over receive hand-crafted art tiles with Minnesota maritime scenes. Choose from several designs in two sizes or make a request!

View tile examples (pdf): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6


New Link - Developing a Plan to Preserve the USS Essex - MHM Completes First Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grant

New Link - MHM at the 2010 Minnesota Archaeology Fair, Fort Snelling State Park

Link - MHM Quoted in DIY Scanner Story in Fargo-Morehead Forum Newspaper

Link - MHM at the 2009 Nautical Model Shipbuilders Society Show

Link - MHM at the Internet Archive

Link - MHM on Quick on The UpTake Radio

Link - MHM at the 2009 Minnesota Archaeology Fair, Fort Snelling

Site Navigation
Go To Introduction
Go To Goals of MHM
Go To Programs and Projects
Go To MHM's Strategic Plan
Go To Our Corporate In-Kind Donors
Go To MHM's Twitter Feed
Go To MHM's Facebook Feed
Go To MHM Visits the Tall Ships in Duluth
Go To MHM at the 2009 Archaeology Fair, Fort Snelling
Go To MHM at the 2009 Nautical Model Shipbuilders Society Show
Go To Other Resources Links

Downloads
MHM's Strategic Plan (pdf)
Curriculum Vitae for MHM Founders (pdf)
Developing a Plan to Preserve the USS Essex (pdf)
2007 Big Island Report (pdf)
2008 Nautical Archaeological Assessment of Steamer Wrecks Swan (21AK84) and Andy Gibson (21AK0109) in Aitkin, Minnesota (pdf)

Contact Us
E-mail MHM HERE
Introduction

In 1960, Minnesota was recognized by the "Father of Underwater Archaeology" Dr. George Bass as one of four states where ground-breaking underwater archaeology, discovery, and salvage began. That year saw the careful raising of New York's Lake George bateaux, the unfortunate salvage of the Union ironclad USS Cairo in Mississippi, and the discovery of the first ill-fated wreck of the Spanish Flota of 1715 in Florida. In contrast to the regrettable activities in Mississippi and Florida, Northern Minnesota saw the birth of "white-water archaeology" using innovative techniques and exceptional skill.

The "Quetico-Superior Underwater Research Project" (QSURP), sponsored by the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) and headed by the late University of Minnesota Professor Edward W. Davis, successfully and with great accuracy documented and excavated numerous 18th and early 19th century underwater sites in hazardous conditions between 1960-1973. Artifacts retrieved from these excavations were conserved and are housed at the MHS. Most importantly, in 1963 MHS hosted the first underwater archaeology conference in the United States, co-sponsored by the Council on Underwater Archaeology (CUA, established in 1959) in St. Paul (and again 10 years later in 1973). These pioneering conferences have evolved into the respected and well-attended Society for Historical Archaeology's (SHA) Annual Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology. SHA's annually published Underwater Archaeology conference papers provide an appropriate venue for the presentation of recent surveys and excavations to a wide professional and non-professional audience.

Minnesota's maritime heritage and cultural resources saturates its citizen's lives, from our over 10,000 lakes and mighty rivers to the majestic inland sea that is Lake Superior. Dotted along these riverbanks and lakeshores are large cities, small towns, and villages whose inhabitants depended on these waterways for transportation, livelihoods, energy, and recreation. This reliance is still reflected in the cultural remains, the submerged watercraft wreck sites, deserted or sunken piers, transportation system support buildings, amusements park ruins, flour and saw mill remnants, dams, power plants, and locks, evident on the river and lake bottoms and on shore. Picking up the mantle from QSURP in the 1990s, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) conducted preliminary submerged cultural resources surveys around the state and recognized several significant underwater and maritime sites.


19th Century Minnesota Map
MHM Needs Money!
Lake Minnetonka Sailing Scow


Goals of MHM

The goals of MHM are:

  • to preserve the maritime heritage of Minnesota by training volunteers and students to conduct scientific and historical research, underwater and nautical archaeological survey and excavation of shipwrecks, piers, docks, and other submerged cultural resources, terrestrial maritime archaeology, artifact and site conservation, and publication

  • to educate the citizens of Minnesota and its visitors through interpretive exhibits, educational outreach, archival and manuscript research opportunities, and survey/excavation

  • to develop educational programs to preserve, conserve, and interpret historic watercraft with the assistance of community leaders, volunteers, and students

  • to prevent the destruction of Minnesota's finite maritime cultural, archival, and historical resources through education, preservation, conservation, and management

These objectives will be achieved following the most stringent ethical standards, time-tested archaeological methods and theories, thorough historical research, and innovative techniques. Affiliations and partnerships will be established with communities, diving and non-diving volunteers, students, educational institutions, historical societies, and museums around the State to promote local participation in educational programs and projects conducted by MHM. A major focus of MHM is the prevention of damage to our finite maritime cultural resources due to diver ignorance, purposeful destruction for profit or personal gain, and the unnecessary condemnation of historic structures associated with Minnesota's maritime culture.

Streetcar Boat White Bear
MHM Needs Money!
Side-Wheeler Minneapolis


Programs and Projects

MHM is designing programs to serve and educate the public through the interpretation of maritime and nautical archaeological sites, artifacts, and the historical documents that may accompany them. MHM will:

  • conduct terrestrial and underwater surveys and excavations to train interested students and volunteers in the best practical and ethical applications of archaeological methods and theories

  • establish underwater archaeological parks designed to educate divers about watercraft construction on wrecks in situ and the importance of non-invasive/non-destructive dive activities

  • acquire permanent exhibit space and create interpretive exhibits of site plans, conserved artifacts, and graphic representations concerning ethical standards and practices in maritime terrestrial, nautical, and underwater archaeology designed for the diver and non-diver

  • create traveling exhibits designed to interpret the submerged cultural resources of particular regions or bodies of water around the State to provide specific background information for Minnesota's citizens who use and enjoy Minnesota's maritime-related resources daily

  • present talks in school and community outreach programs that utilize artifacts and visuals to relate Minnesota's rich maritime history in a hands-on fashion

These activities will promote:

  • visits to city, state, college, and university library facilities for primary and secondary research by Minnesota residents, students, scholars, and visitors

  • the presentation of papers at conferences such as those held by the American Institute of Archaeology, Institute of Nautical Archaeology, Nautical Archaeology Society, North American Society for Oceanic History, and Society for Historical Archaeology

  • the publication of survey and excavation results in reports, articles, and academic theses

  • curriculum development at the elementary, junior high, and senior high levels intended to educate students about their own maritime heritage

  • nominations to the National Register of Historic Places through the State Historic Preservation Office









Early 20th Century Scene on White Bear Lake
MHM Needs Money!
Launch Esther on Big Stone Lake


MHM's Strategic Plan

During the next several years we are planning many projects:

  • Lake Superior, Northern Minnesota: Documentation, excavation, and conservation of clipper ship builder Donald McKay's USS Essex at Duluth. Essex is a nationally significant wreck, whose only comparable American Navy counterparts are the USS Constitution and USS Constellation. MHM set about re-locating the wreck in September 2007 with the assistance of colleague Steve Hack. MHM volunteer Kelly Nehowig first located the Essex in the surf zone and Olson, Merriman, Nehowig, and Hack assessed the wreck's condition. Compared to the mid-1990s site plan of the Essex, she has suffered from ice damage, vandalism, and looting over the years. See photos HERE and HERE.

  • Mississippi River, Minnesota: Phase I side imaging sonar survey of the Mississippi River's length from the source at Lake Itasca to the state's border to locate any submerged wrecks. Very few wrecks and underwater sites have been positively identified in Minnesota's section of the Mississippi River, justifying a complete survey to locate, document, and protect any submerged cultural resources in this great waterway. MHM plans a side and downimaging sonar survey of the river from the western border of Aitkin County with Crow Wing County to the southern border of Itasca County, including the cities of Aitkin and Palisade, in 2010 in order to establish a type database for Headwaters Mississippi River steamer wrecks. Of particular concern is the condition of the steamers Andy Gibson and Swan near Aitkin, and complete documentation of both wrecks is a priority. Download the 2008 assessment of these wrecks HERE.

  • Big Island, Lake Minnetonka, Central Minnesota: In June and July 2007, MHM staff Merriman and Olson and volunteer Kelly Nehowig collaborated with Orono Community Education's Big Island Summer Institute to offer two days of terrestrial archaeology instruction for kids called "Dig On This." This brief introduction to the extensive archaeological resources on Big Island gave the kids a great overview to the rich cultural history relating to the Big Island Amusement Park and the Big Island Veteran's Camp. MHM also conducted underwater investigations in Big Island Bay, locating numerous submerged pier pilings and lateral planks that made up the large earth-filled steamboat docks. MHM hopes to continue this collaboration on Big Island and incorporate educational opportunities for adults in the disciplines of terrestrial and underwater archaeology. Download the 2007 report HERE.

  • Twin Cities, Central Minnesota: The MHM hopes to acquire and restore a permanent facility located on or near the Fort Snelling Military Reservation for the purposes of education, artifact conservation and exhibition, and archive and manuscript management. Our goal is to develop an ecologically friendly operational base that exploits sustainable power such as wind and solar, and uses recycled materials in its construction or restoration.

  • Lake Minnetonka, Western Twin Cities: (1) Phase I side and down imaging sonar survey of the Upper and Lower Lakes; (2) attempt to locate remains of Belle of Minnetonka in St. Alban's Bay; (3) terrestrial examinations of maritime sites including streetcar boat stops; Phase II documentations of: (4) side-wheel wreck at Excelsior Bay entrance Minneapolis); (5) stern-wheeler near Streetcar Boat wrecks (possible Excelsior); (6) Wayzata Bay wooden barge; (7) Excelsior Commons wreck (known as Jerry's Wreck); (8) Tug Hercules; (9) Streetcar Boats Como, White Bear, and Hopkins.

  • Burntside Lake, Northern Minnesota: Phase I side and down imaging sonar survey of Burntside Lake near Ely to locate any underwater sites and the development of a management plan for any sites discovered. MHM will also augment an already-completed Phase II documentation of the lumbering scow Bull of the Woods to assess her condition and determine of a preservation plan is warranted.

  • White Bear Lake, Northeast Twin Cities: Phase Iside and down imaging sonar survey of White Bear Lake to locate any underwater sites and the development of a management plan for any sites discovered.

  • Big Stone Lake, Western Minnesota: Phase I side and down imaging sonar survey of Big Stone Lake to locate any underwater sites and the development of a management plan for any sites discovered, and an assessment of the Royal Moore-built torpedo stern boat Muskegon/Golden Bantam.


    • Christopher Olson and Big Island "Dig On This" kids uncover an arch base. Photo by Kelly Nehowig.
    MHM Needs Money!
    "Dig On This" kids uncover arch bases and note their findings. Photo by Kelly Nehowig.
    MHM Needs Money!
    Big Island Amusement Park Mission-Style Arch Base, 2007. Photo by Ann Merriman.
    MHM Needs Money!
    Donald McKay-built Gunboat USS Essex
    MHM Needs Money!
    Stern-Wheeler Excelsior on Lake Minnetonka


    MHM Thanks Our Corporate Donors for Their Generosity and Their In-Kind Donations of Equipment to our Projects:



    Tilsner Carton Company's Web Site


    Midway Container, Inc 's Web Site

    Cooper Tools Web Site

    Marshalltown Company's Web Site



    Lowe's Web Site

    MHM's Twitter Feed and Facebook Fan Page





























    Other Resources
    Minnesota Archaeological Society
    Underwater Minnesota
    Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society
    US Brig Niagara
    Schooner Pride of Baltimore II
    Great Lakes Schooner Madeline

    Thank you for visiting our site. Please e-mail with questions and check back often for updates.
    E-mail MHM HERE.