A Wisconsin father and daughter duo miraculously found what is believed to be a 150-year-old shipwreck that disappeared during one of the deadliest wildfires in US history.
Tim Wollak and his 6-year-old daughter, Henley, came across the landmark on Lake Michigan while they were on a fishing trip near Green Island in Green Bay, Wisc. in August, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.
While the couple was fishing on the lake, Wollak’s sonar detector picked up what his daughter believed to be a rare Green Bay Octopus.
He posted the sonar photo to his Facebook that eventually caught the attention of the historical society, which believes the father and daughter pair found the 122-foot George L. Newman.
“The ship was a three-masted sailing vessel and was in 8 to 10 feet of water. While the identity of the wreck has yet to be confirmed, the location and current data available are consistent with the barkentine GEORGE L. NEWMAN,” the Wisconsin Historical Society announced on Facebook.
Her father’s sonar picked up what his daughter thought was a rare Green Gulf Octopus while they were fishing. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
The George L. Newman brought a supply of wood from Little Suamico on Oct. 8. 1871, when the ship got lost trying to navigate through thick smoke during the deadly Peshtigo Fire.
The Peshtigo fire killed more than 1,500 people and burned more than a million acres in northeastern Wisconsin, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.
The large wooden vessel, valued at around $8,800, measured about “122 feet long and 26.3 feet in beam with a depth of 11 feet of hold,” according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.
The ship was built by Benjamin Flin in Black River, Ohio in 1855.
Wollak and her daughter were thrilled to discover that their sonar detector was behind the remarkable discovery.
Tim Wollak posted the sonar photo to his Facebook which eventually caught the attention of the historical society. Fox 11 The George L. Newman was carrying a supply of lumber on October 8, 1871, when the ship became lost trying to navigate through thick smoke during the Peshtigo Fire. Fox 11
“I don’t know how we got through it,” Tim Wollak told WLUK. “I told him I’m sure no one else in his school has found a wreck that no one has recorded before…I guess we just have to fish more and see if we can find more wrecks.”
Tamara Thomsen, a maritime archaeologist for the Wisconsin Historical Society, reports how the discovery of the shipwreck is relatively rare given that there have been no other sightings in the area.
“We went back to our database to see if there was anything reported in the area and we didn’t have anything,” said Tamara Thomsen. “However, in our database we have information on historic disappearances and this matches the location of George L. Newman’s disappearance.”
The Wisconsin Historical Society said on Facebook that the Maritime Preservation and Archeology Program will conduct a search for the shipwreck in 2024 and evaluate the site for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
