Headwaters Mississippi River
Aitkin County
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Of
the 6 steamboat wreck sites known to exist
in the entirety of the
Mississippi River, Minnesota has 3 of them within its borders: Andy Gibson (21-AK0109) and Swan (21-AK0084) in Aitkin and the J.S. (21-HU0160) in Houston County. The Andy Gibson and Swan
are significant to Minnesota's - and America's - maritime history since
they are located hundreds of miles above Minneapolis, the point that
has been commnly accepted as the 'head of navigation' of the 'Upper
Mississippi' River. The true Head of Navigation is the Headwaters
Mississippi River region, where 12 steamboats plied the river between
Aitkin, Sandy Lake, and Grand Rapids from 1870-1921. Between
2008 and 2012, Maritime Heritage Minnesota has documented about 50% of
the Andy Gibson Wreck Site and MHM successfully nominated her to the National Register of Historic Places in August 2012.
In 2010 MHM conducted a Phase 1 side and down imaging sonar survey of
the Mississippi River in Aitkin County, a distance of 104 miles. Beyond the known sites of Andy Gibson and Swan,
MHM identified three maritime sites near Jacobson (Mississippi Landing
Railroad Spur & Bridge Remians [21-AK0115], Mississippi Landing
Logging Pier, [21-AK0116]) and at the confluence of the Sandy and
Mississippi Rivers (Sandy River Steamboat Crib, 21-AK0117). MHM
conducted the Aitkin County Shipwrecks Project in September and October
2012 with funds
provided by a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant. MHM
located a new wreck in Aitkin, now known as the Red Mill Wreck
(21-AK0122), and a
preliminary documentaiton began. MHM also determined the port side
perameters of the Andy Gibson
wreck and located two additional maritime sites in Aitkin (Burton &
Anderson/Hodgeden & McDonald Mill and Landing, 21-AK0124) and south
of
Palisade (Tripp Landing, 21-AK0123). The Aitkin County Shipwrecks
Project page also includes information on the Andy Gibson wreck site. To
see more click the links below.
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Andy
Gibson moored at a
landing on the Headwaters Mississippi River (Itasca County Historical
Society).
The steamer Fawn moored near a wanigan on the
Headwaters Mississippi River, with Andy
Gibson steaming up in the background (Minnesota Historical
Society, digitized by MHM).
An early morning on the Headwaters Mississippi River near the newly designated Red Mill Wreck.
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USS Essex
Shipwreck
Lake
Superior, Duluth, St. Louis County
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Maritime
Heritage Minnesota has been conducting yearly condition assessments of
North America's premier clipper ship builder Donald McKay's USS Essex (21-SL1030). The Essex
wreck is the only example of McKay's craftsmanship confirmed to exist
and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The wreck is
nationally significant in terms of Naval Architecture and Naval
History. Unfortunately, the site is in danger from ice damage, sand
erosion, and humans - looting and vandalism - and she has suffered from
all of these harmful activities over the decades. Using three grants
awarded through the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants Program,
MHM has produced a plan to preserve the USS Essex, digitized the ship's
known 62 log books, and begun the transcription and editing of the
books for free internet access. To see more click the link below.
USS Essex Investigations
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Donald McKay's last ship, the
sloop-of-war USS Essex, under sail (Naval Historical
Center, digitized by MHM).
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Lake Minnetonka
Hennepin and Carver Counties
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Maritime
Heritage Minnesota conducted a Phase 1 side and down imaging
sonar survey of Lower Lake Minnetonka and the Upper Lake's Crystal Bay
in September and November 2011, and the remaining sections of the Upper
Lake in May 2012. MHM has located 5 new shipwrecks in the
lake, joining the 6 already known wrecks. MHM also completed State
of Minnesota archaeological site forms for 5 of the known wrecks so
they now have site numbers. Further, an additional 22 anomalies are
probably wrecks and another 33 anomalies may be wrecks, but
investigations by SCUBA must be conducted to determine the nature of
these
anomalies. MHM also designated the Big Island Steamboat Pier, Park, and
Veteran's Camp as an archaeological site, utilizing information
gathered
by MHM in 2003, 2007, and 2011. MHM received a MHCH Grant to dive on
specific anomalies in late September 2012. This project was barely
begun in October 2012 when scheduling conflicts halted diving. The
project will commence in early Spring 2012. To see more click the link
below.
Lake Minnetonka
Surveys 1 & 2
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MHM recorded this sonar image of the St. Albans Bay
Wreck (21-HE0400) in September 2011.
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Minnesota River
Hennepin, Dakota, Scott, Carver, Sibley, & Le Sueur Counties
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Maritime Heritage Minnesota
has conducted a side and down imaging sonar
survey of the Minnesota River from its confluence with the Mississippi
River to past Belle Plaine, with terrestrial surveys taking place in
Shakopee, Chaska, near Jordan, Blakely, and Henderson. Several maritime
sites were recorded and researched, with one maritime archaeological
site designated - the Belle Plain Levee and Bridge Remains (21-SC0098, 21-SB0027). MHM
recorded 2 anomalies that may be watercraft wrecks that require futher
investigation. To see more, click the link below.
Minnesota
River Survey
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The Chaska Ferry on the Minnesota River in
the 1890s
(Minnesota Historical Society, digitized by MHM).
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White Bear Lake & Lake Waconia
Ramsey,
Washington, and Carver Counties
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Maritime Heritage Minnesota
has bee awarded a Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment Minnesota
Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant to conduct a side and down
imaging sonar survey of White Bear Lake and Lake Waconia. MHM
identified 3 wreck sites in White Bear Lake, but further investigation
of these sunken vessels must be conducted before we can designate them
as nautical archaeological sites. In addition, another 21 anomalies in
White Bear Lake warrent further investigation to determine their
natures. In Lake Waconia, MHM identified 46 anomalies that require
further research. MHM is moderately confident that 1 and possibly 3
more of these anomalies are wrecks, but more work is required. To see
more, click the links below.
Lake Waconia Survey
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MHM
recorded this sonar image of the 'Ordway's Bar Wreck' in August 2012.
This wreck remains an anomaly and not an official nautical
archaeological site until MHM can determine her age. |
MHM at Archaeology Fairs
and Conferences
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Every year Maritime
Heritage Minnesota participates
in Minnesota Archaeology Week activities at Fort Snelling State Park.
The Archaeology Fair is staged from the Thomas C. Savage Center and
every year more people visit the fair. To see more, click the
links below.
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Every year Maritime
Heritage Minnesota travels to Mille Lacs Kathio State Park for
Archaeology Day activities. To
see more, click the links below (due to technical difficulties, photos
from the 2011 Kathio Archaeology Day are not available).
2012 Kathio Archaeology Day
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MHM presented a talk at the Gales
of November Conference in Duluth in 2011 on our on-going USS Essex
assessments and the log book digitization, editing, and transcription
project. We also brought our static exhibit to further inform
conference goers about our other work. To see more, click the link
below.
2011 Gales
of November Conference
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MHM
presented at the Council for Minnesota Archaeology Conference at Inver
Hills Community College in February 2011. The theme was "Farmsteads,
Factories, Forts and Frontiers" and MHM talked about the Mississippi
River Aitkin County Survey results. MHM will also be participating in
the conference in February 2013. To see more, click the link
below.
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