State to dedicate second shipwreck nature preserve
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The Indiana Dunes National Park has announced that the “Muskegon” will be dedicated as Indiana’s 2nd official Shipwreck Nature Preserve.
A dedication ceremony will take place this week, where scientists from Indiana University’s Center for Underwater Science, along with Indiana Department of Natural Resources and National Park Service staff will install a mooring buoy at the site, place a bronze commemorative plaque, and collect high-quality underwater photos and footage of the wreck.
“The Muskegon is Indiana’s first shipwreck listed on the National Register of Historic Places,” notes IU’s Dr. Charles Baker. “This dedication as an Indiana Shipwreck Nature Preserve will facilitate site enhancements and increased public access to one of our most significant shipwrecks.”
According to our partners at the Times of Northwest Indiana, the SS Muskegon was a 1,199 gross-ton freighter that was launched in 1872 to carry mail, freight, and passengers, and to suck up sand from the bottom of the lake for use in manufacturing. Now the ship’s wreckage lies beneath 30-35 ft. of water approximately a quarter mile offshore from Indiana Dunes National Park’s Mount Baldy.
The National Parks Service hopes that the dedication of the Muskegon wreckage as a nature preserve will raise awareness about the importance of shipwrecks as a scientific, recreational, and cultural resource.
“Indiana is home to more than 300 nature preserves that protect our state’s most unique natural places, which includes two shipwrecks off our state’s coast,” Indiana DNR Director Dan Bortner said in a news release. “As a state nature preserve, the Muskegon shipwreck site will be protected for generations to come.”
A public celebration will be hosted Thursday at the Michigan City Lighthouse Museum from 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm with food trucks, community partners, and access to the museum. The dedication will commence at 3:30 pm.