Great lakes 10,000 years ago, glaciers cut through the valleys in the north regions forming what would much later become The Great Lakes. As the largest freshwater system on earth, they are known for their vast area covering over 94,000 square miles, and have been the key asset to settlement in the surrounding regions. Serving as highways for migration, trade and travel the regions prospered from the abundance of natural resources. Lake superior is the worlds largest freshwater lake. It is also one of the most clear lakes in the world with an average visibility of 27ft with some regions as deep as 100ft. ThunderBay In the Thunder Bay, the outdoors is not simply someplace you visit, it is a way of life. The area provides quality opportunities for adventure enthusiasts of all ages and skill. With the regions history there are many great options for learning and exploring. With records of fur trade dating back as early as 1683, the Thunder bay area has a rich history of people, places, events and culture.”Trading and supply boats routinely passed Thunder Bay on their way to outposts at Mackinaw, Sault Ste. Marie, and Green Bay. In 1679, LaSalle's GRIFFON became the first major European vessel to pass by Thunder Bay, and many others were to follow”(NOAA). It is the gateway to Canada's Great outdoors. History Transition to Shipwrecks Due to its prime location on Lake Superior, Thunder Bay became an integral part of early trade via boats. Major vessels transporting wood, metals, and other goods were routinely passing through the area. There are many reasons as to why a ship may become inactive at sea, but one of the most common is due to collision. For a variety of these reasons, Thunder bay accumulated a large collection of shipwrecks. In the Thunder Bay area, the collection of shipwrecks reflects the transitions in ship architecture and construction throughout history. From wooden schooners to early steel-hulled steamers, as well as several unusual vessel types. The Great Lakes actually have some of the best shipwreck diving locations in the United States for two primary reasons. The wrecks found here generally maintain their structural integrity longer than salt water ocean wrecks. Here are some examples of the information that is documented on shipwrecks in the thunder bay area: Vessel Name: Albany, Vessel Type: Paddle Wheeler, Hull: Wood, Built: 1846, Lost: 1853, Builder: Gager, C.L, Build Place: Detroit, Michigan, Length 202, Beam: 29, Loss Type: Stranded, Cargo: Provisions, Lives: 0, County: Presque Isle, Latitude: N45*19.
In 1991, all shoreline portions of Woodard Bay NRCA, all flat areas within 60 meters of the shore, existing trails inland from the shore, and NRCA boundaries were the subject of archaeological reconnaissance, which yield a total of 21 prehistoric archaeological sites.
A very historic event and detailed story took place in Port Chicago, California. An election was held in wartime emergency on January 4, 1943 to whom the people chose Earl Warren for governor of California. Then on July 17, 1944, a huge explosion of two ammunition ships occurred at the Naval Ammunition Depot on the Sacramento River. A great amount of damage was done to this now destroyed base, which was originally a segregated unit. Two cargo ships were tied up at the wrecked pier and the number of sailors and ammunition handlers killed instantly varied from 200 to 320, with 202 being black sailors, depending on the resource. However, this blast was quick to be called a mutiny and legal matters were brought up almost immediately.
Farmers who lived west of the Appalachian Mountains shipped all their surplus produce by boat down rivers that flowed into the Gulf of Mexico. In a treaty of 1795, Spain agreed to give Americans the "right of deposit" at New Orleans. This right allowed Americans to store in New Orleans, duty-free, goods shipped for export. Arks and flatboats transported a great variety of products, including flour, tobacco, pork bacon, lard, feathers, cider, butter, cheese, hemp, p...
In 1808 Simon Fraser, employed by the Northwest Company, made his way across the Rockies and came down what is known now as the Fraser River to the Columbia. The next to come along was David Thompson, who was also employed by the Northwest Company. He too crossed the Rockies and made his way to the Pacific Ocean by way of the Columbia River. He reached the ocean in 1811 and found an American fur-trading company. This was the Pacific Fur Trading Company. It was the first permanent Euro-American settlement at Astoria.
The Great Lakes have been home to more than 6,000 shipwrecks on its five major Lakes (Childs, 2011). One of the most popular wrecks was that of the bulk freighter the Edmund Fitzgerald on the Canadian side of Lake Superior. It had transported goods across the Great Lakes for about 17 years before it was overcome by the power of the Lakes. In terms of lifetimes of shipping vessels, The Fitzgerald was still relatively young. “The Fitzgerald, often called the Titanic of the Great Lakes was not only the most famous freshwater shipwreck; it was also the biggest mystery in the Great Lakes history” (Schumacher, 2006). Weather played a key role in the defeat of this ship and the death of all 29 hands on November 10, 1975. “Winter is a time of intense
There are plenty of ship remains. The Titanic remains are sitting on the Atlantic Ocean sea bed. The Titanic sits on the sea bed 1,2400 feet below the surface, 3,780 meters!
The Chesapeake Bay is a large estuary located on the east coast of the United States. The bay is over 200 miles long and goes through Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The bay has much to offer the locals. Many locals have made a career out of harvesting the bay's sea food. The bay's harvest and many of its other attractions bring tourists and in turn revenue for the area. Oysters and blue crab are a big part of the culture in the bay area. However, these organisms are in danger and need help.
Excessive nutrients from agriculture, development, and industry are harming the Chesapeake Bay. These excessive nutrients harm the habitat for many of the bays species. On top of the habitat being depleated, overfishing and diseases are also hurting the bays species. Nutrient loads can be reduced with the help of lawmakers to put a cap on the emissions allowed in the environment. If this is done the dead zone will start to recede, but the time and money need to be spent in order to save the bay.
Travel by land and water was both tedious and expensive. Transporting one ton of goods across states would cost around 100 dollars or 1,265 dollars in today’s money. In the 1790s, land routes connecting the east coast and the farther western regions of the United States were undeveloped. Along with this, when weather conditions were poor land routes could not support any sort of dependable shipping by wagon, or even travel by horseback. Natural waterways provided the most dependable method of transport west of Albany. Even travel by waterway in this time period was inconvenient because these water routes were unreliable due to shallow water and raging rapids.
This made a change from dugouts to the use of birch bark. Birch Bark canoes started in the 1800’s in Canada. Various people such as, Native Americans, missionaries, and trappers, would use this type of canoe for travel through the North American waterways (Winkler). The bark itself would be strong enough to carry large loads that normally dugouts could not hold, as well as, be light enough to be carried across land and used again. Continuing, the canoe was completely waterproof, causing a smooth flowing canoe, therefore, the people paddling would not have to worry about their items getting wet when being transported. These canoes could also be fixed easily, because of the material being used was so available, therefore, even if this canoe broke a little, it can be prepared fast and easy. Birch bark canoes started a new form of transportation in the way that they could run all sorts of water flows. From rapids to slow moving backwaters, this canoe could adapt it’s function. When European explorers came over, they immediately found an interest to the birch bark canoes and decided to bring them back over to Europe. Expansion of the birch bark canoe, soon developed all over the world. Transportation, was in fact, made easier through the use of the birch bark canoe, due to it’s easy accessibility and it being
The Great Lakes, including Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, are the largest freshwater lakes in the world, accounts for about 18% of the world 's fresh water resources. They are rich in water and other resources and the area of the Great Lakes extend more than 1200 km. The storage capacity of Great Lakes is about 23000 km3 and the surface area is around 244000 km2. Nowadays 1/10 of the Americans and a quarter of Canadians live in the lakes. Some of the world 's largest industrial center is built on here. Almost 25% of total agricultural production in Canada and 7% in the United States will yield in this area. Although the area of the lake is large, it could be affected by a wide range of pollutions
The Bay of Fundy, which is found off the shores of Nova Scotia, has the
To begin with it will give an opportunity to many to explore many ancient artifacts. There has been about 5,500 artifacts recovered from the Titanic. If artifacts that are human made are not found they will be consumed by bacteria. Microorganisms are slowly destroying the ship itself; and will one day collapse on the ocean floor. If the artifacts are not recovered from the ship site they will eventually be lost. Exhibiting artifacts from the Titanic wreck site will help preserve physical memory of the ship and people that died in the disaster. The pas...
"The Wreck of the Henrietta Marie." The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. 2001. Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society, Inc., Web. 13 Dec 2009. .