The Great Lakes, covering almost 95,000 square miles, played a very important role in American history. The waterways provided access to the central part of the United States for discovery and exploration by French trappers, traders, and adventurers. In 1608 the French established a settlement in Quebec, and just a few years later Samuel de Champlain set out to explore the region. He discovered Lake Ontario in 1615.

Today the Great Lakes are a serene paradise for boaters and fishermen as well as a busy commercial waterway for shipping. Michigan, which borders three of the five Great Lakes, ranks number one in the United States in registered watercraft with 747,949 as of June 1996. Please browse the Great Lakes links below and explore the history, the lore, the romance, the shipwrecks, the beauty, and the recreational boating offered by this fabulous resource.

General Information

The Great Lakes Information Network
Aquatic Habitat and Wetlands of the Great Lakes
Great Lakes Race Information
Great Lakes Boating Page
Great Lakes Cruiser Magazine

Weather

Great Lakes Forecasting System

Shipwrecks

The Edmund Fitzgerald
Great Lakes Shipwreck Research

Associations

Lake Schooner Education Association
Saginaw Bay Yacht Club
University of Michigan Sailing Club
U.S. Coast Guard

Museums and Historical Societies

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Great Lakes Museums

Ships

Great Lakes Vessels - Publicly Accessible
Museum Ship Alexander - A Bed & Breakfast
Maritime Heritage Alliance - The Schooner Madeline

Lighthouses

Great Lakes Lighthouses - Publicly Accessible
Great Lakes Lights
Michigan Lights
Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association

 


Links to other sites are provided as a matter of convenience.
We don't necessarily endorse what you may find there.