pieces for the United States Navy. Today,
over 110 years later, Besser Company continues
to raise the bar in the block-making
industry with new inventions and locations
worldwide; with international headquarters
right here in Alpena, Michigan. See the
original machine at Besser Museum for
Northeast Michigan.
Shipwreck Alley – As a direct
result of Alpena’s port position as a major
hub of commerce on the Great Lakes, the
economic growth is also reflected in the
waterway traffic that pre-dated roadway
infrastructure on land. From exploration
and fishing, to lumber and the movement
of people and product, the port of Alpena
was always buzzing with shipping activity.
The trifecta of economic growth, prolific
shipping activity, and unpredictable
weather patterns and water navigation
led to the demise of many vessels carrying
goods and people to and from various
places on the Great Lakes in the U.S. and
Canada. The remains of wooden schooners,
modern freighters, and everything in
between can be found in the watery graves
of “Shipwreck Alley”; a nickname given to
the Thunder Bay area due to its rocky underwater
limestone shoals, various small
islands, heavy traffic, and infamous storms
known to take ships under without fair
warning. Over 70 shipwrecks reside at the
bottom of Lake Huron within the vicinity of
the Thunder Bay alone. The oldest known
shipwreck in Thunder Bay lies in only 13
ft. of water; the New Orleans, a wooden
paddle steamer that ran aground in 1849.
The most recent wreck occurred in 1966
when the German freighter, Nordmeer, ran
aground northeast of Thunder Bay Island.
This ship used to stick up over the water
line but has since submerged due to the
pressures of time and winter ice. Thunder
Bay National Marine Sanctuary protects the
shipwrecks laying off the coast of Northeast
Michigan, as nowhere else is a collection of
nationally-significant shipwrecks this varied
or pristinely preserved. Visit the Great
Lakes Maritime Heritage Center to learn
how shipping played a significant role in
the development of Alpena and the United
States. Round out your history tour with
a trip on board the Lady Michigan glassbottom
boat where you will visit and view
some of the wrecks in Lake Huron without
getting wet.
Above: Katherine V in Lake Huron; Courtesy Besser Museum Right: Katherine V going through ice; Courtesy Besser Museum
LaFarge Freighter Aerial; Courtesy Bryan Dort
Alpena Freighter; Courtesy Gary Irving
42 Sanctuary of the Great Lakes