Maritime Munising
A Life Defined by Lake Superior
Supplemental information for visitors to Munising’s Maritime Art Walk
Greater Munising Bay Shipwrecks and Rescue
Munising offered a protected harbor from Lake Superior’s notorious storms if the ships were able to navigate the shoals. In all navigation of Lake Superior, there is none more dreaded by the mariner than that from Whitefish Point to Grand Island.” – Published in the Marquette Mining Journal published on July 29, 1871.
The area stretching from just west of Munising to Au Sable Point and including the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is the home of the Alger Underwater Preserve. Several major shipwrecks lying within recreational diving limits are found inside its boundaries.
It is recommended that you use a local guide service to visit these sites-
Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tour
1204 Commercial St. | Munising, MI 49862
(906) 387-4477 | website
The Herman H. Hettler Shipwreck-
200 ft. long
35 ft. beam
13.3 ft. draft
constructed in 1890 in West Bay City Michigan
Wrecked on Nov. 23, 1926
The Hettler was considered a transitional ship, as she was equipped with the old reliable sails and new technology of steam power. This style of ship was often referred to as a lumber hooker. It was equipped with a donkey engine powered hoist that could hook and load a little over one million board feet of lumber to be transported on the upper deck of the ship. Below decks, there was cargo capacity for up to 1,100 tons. On the night she wrecked, 1,100 tons of bulk table salt washed into the lake. She was not carrying lumber on the decks at the time.
There was a crew of 17 men on board. They were traveling North of Grand Island when they were engulfed in one of the famous "Gales of November". They tried to escape the storm by navigating into the safe harbor of Munising. In a blinding snow squall, the ship ran hard aground on Trout reef. All the men survived the crash. They spent the night administering first aid on each other, pumping bilges, sounding whistles, and praying for help. The locals on the mainland gathered to the shorelines. They could hear the screaming whistle and occasionaly see the lights of the ship. There was nothing they could do but wait.
A local fishing tug, Prebble, traveled as far as the Grand Island East Channel Light House and waited all night for the seas to possibly calm and daylight to break before making a rescue attempt in the open wilds of Superior. As the Prebble approached the shipwreck, all the crew had manned their life boats and were making the exhausting row to shore. The fish tug towed the life boats filled with me safely to shore. All hands accounted for.
Sand Point Coast Guard Station -
Construction began in 1932 and included the station, watch tower, and boathouse with accompanying wharf and launchway. The station officially opened on May 16, 1933, with a crew of ten.
The crew used a motorized surfboat, which they launched down iron rails to the lake to facilitate rescues.
Decommissioned in 1960, the station became Park Headquarters for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the late 1960s.
Today, Sand Point is a popular spot for sunbathing or walking in the evening to watch the sun go down over Munising Bay. Artifacts from the era of the Munising U.S. Coast Guard Station are on display in the boathouse during the summer and the guard station is now the headquarters of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Greater Munising Bay Lighthouses
East Chanel Lighthouse
The rugged coast of Greater Munising Bay does not stop at the waterline. The dramatic rock formations under the waves and the complicated shorelines of its islands and bays have posed a risk to ships since they started plying these waters. As shipping increaed to keep up with the area’s economy, lighthouses and life saving stations were set up for the safety of the trade.
Greater Munising Bay boasts 5 navigational lights, some of which are open to the public.
Au Sable Point Light Station -
Au Sable is French for “with sand”, presumably named by early European explorers. Au Sable Point was recognized as a hazard to Lake Superior mariners. When lake traffic began to boom in the middle of the nineteenth century with the opening of the Soo Canal (1855), the reef at Au Sable Point was particularly dangerous. Unless warned off, vessels could become victim to this reef of Jacobsville Sandstone which, in some places, lies only a few feet below the surface.
it was common for vessels to travel along the south shore of the lake within sight of land. This was especially common for ships heading for Marquette or Munising, but other captains also followed the route because it was the shortest available. Au Sable Point and the Pictured Rocks area proved to be a natural “ship trap” when vessels were blown onto the lee shore by a strong north wind or lost their way in snow or fog.
Work began on a lighthouse here in 1873, becoming operational in 1874. The light tower is 86 feet high measured from its base to the ventilator ball of the lantern. At the tower base, the walls are over 4 feet thick with the outer walls of 20 inches, inner walls of 12 inches, and an air space of 19 inches. The wall at the lower lantern room is over 3 feet thick. The tower foundation consists of rubble masonry 23 feet below the surface on bedrock.
Today the light station is a popular destination of visitor’s to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
The logging/Shipping Connection
Loading processed lumber onto a ship in Grand Marais.
One of the area’s earliest industries was logging. Before roads and railroads became common, timber was moved using the area’s rivers and Lake Superior. The lumberman had to develop special skills and methods to get his product to the waiting ships.
A log splashes into the lake. Photo taken at the bottom of the log slide in 1919
Log Slide Overlook
With a steep enough slope, logs could be slid down to the lake to be picked up by ships. The steep sand dunes west of Grand Marais provided a slope so steep that its said the logs slid so fast, they would sometimes catch fire from the friction.
Today, Log Slide Overlook offers a spectacular view of Lake superior and is a favorite destination.
Log raft at Grand Marais.
Log Booms
A “boom” was made by chaining logs together to encircle “rafts” of logs in order to tow them to ports where they could be processed and shipped.
Munising City Docks
Originally built of wood and replaced many times throughout Munising’s history, the city docks have served as the gateway to Pictured Rocks and a hospitable threshhold to Munising.
The S.S. South American
The South American, a steam powered cruise ship, was a regular visitor to the Munising Docks in the days of the Great Lakes cruising industry.
