Wisconsin Maritime Archaeology Symposium

 

Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology and Maritime History Symposium

Saturday, October 16th, 2021

Start Time: 10:00 AM 
End Time:  4:00 PM

Description:  

The Wisconsin Underwater Archaeological Association (WUAA) invites the public to learn about recent discoveries beneath the vast waters of Wisconsin during our 17th Annual WUAA Symposium!

Symposium topics will highlight ongoing research by the Wisconsin Historical Society's Maritime Archaeology and Preservation program, WUAA fieldwork, as well as a presentation of NOAA's newly designated Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast.  

This annual event brings together underwater archaeologists, maritime historians, divers, and Great Lakes enthusiasts for a stimulating day of presentations about maritime history and underwater archaeology in Wisconsin waters and beyond. 

Registration is $20 and is open to the public. 

Location: Wisconsin Maritime Museum, 75 Maritime Drive, Manitowoc, WI, 54220

https://www.wisconsinmaritime.org/

Symposium Schedule

10:00 a.m. - 10:55 a.m. | WUAA BUSINESS MEETING

Elections for open WUAA Board Positions - Public Are Welcome

11:00 a.m. - 11:55 a.m. | TAMARA THOMSEN & CAITLIN ZANT

The Wisconsin Historical Society’s Maritime Preservation and Archaeology Program 2021 Survey Season

Noon -12:30 p.m. | LUNCH BREAK

Bring a sandwich or grab a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant

12:30 p.m. - 12:55 p.m. | MUSEUM EXHIBIT TOUR

Visit the museum’s exhibits

1:00 p.m. - 1:55 p.m. | BRENDON BAILLOD & BOB JAECK

New Side Scan Sonar Survey Discoveries Across Wisconsin

2:00 p.m. - 2:55 p.m.| RUSS GREEN

Forward! Next Steps for the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary

3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. | KEVIN CULLEN

Excavating a Fur Trade Era Native American Encampment at Point au Sable, Green Bay

4:00 p.m. | POST-SYMPOSIUM SOCIAL

Details

Published: 09 September 2021

Gales of November Conference.

https://www.lsmma.com/content.aspx?page_id=4001

The above link is to the Gales of November Conference calendar so you can find the zoom meetings.

 

Details

Published: 10 November 2020

Ghost Port Settlements and Shipwrecks in Door County’s Clay Banks

Ghost Port Settlements and Shipwrecks in Door County’s Clay Banks

Township, Door County, Wisconsin: A Wisconsin Maritime Study

 Wisconsin’s Door County Peninsula harbors over a dozen ghost town sites. Many of these vanished communities were actually small lake ports, associated with the logging industry and related pioneer enterprises that blossomed shortly after the Civil War. The Lake Michigan coastline of Clay Banks, the smallest township in Door County, had four such “ghost port” settlements. Maritime shipping was essential for these hamlets because roads and railways were lacking or ineffective. However, the waters off this township are fringed by numerous rocky shoals, which necessitated the construction of extensive piers to ship the products generated by logging, farming and fishing enterprises. A key interdependency evolved between these sawmill-communities and nautical commerce from their mega-piers. Despite these lengthy docks, many shipwrecks and maritime mishaps occurred on the dangerous reefs, as well as at the piers themselves. As the logging era faded, the sawmills closed, local businesses dwindled away, and the massive docks crumbled into the lake, until each settlement had virtually disappeared, leaving only underwater or underground remnants to tell their stories.

Ten years ago, the Wisconsin Underwater Archeological Association (WUAA) began this study of these extinct hamlets, both above and below water. Archival research recounts both the development and the decay of these lakeside communities, including histories of their vital sawmills and shipping docks. The hardships and complexity of the small sawmill businesses are examined, as are the lives of certain key individuals who championed civic developments and commercial enterprises in these wilderness settlements. Local shipwrecks and other maritime misfortunes are discussed, and several underwater archeological field studies are presented. In telling this story of communal rise and fall, the authors have relayed the information in a manner that hopefully captures the “flavor of those long-gone, pioneer times.”

A Wisconsin Underwater Archeological Association Study

Available October 1st, 2020

Details

Published: 11 September 2020