Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Michigan is uniting lakeshore
communities in celebration of their maritime heritage. The sanctuary protects 36 nationally
significant shipwreck sites.
The historic ports of Two Rivers, Manitowoc, Sheboygan, and Port Washington have been safe
havens for Lake Michigan mariners since the early 1800s, and served as gateways for westward
expansion of the United States.
Beneath the waves of the inland sea beyond their ports, the shadows of steamships and
schooners that once connected Wisconsin to the world tell the story of some of the many
sacrifices that made this expansion possible.
It was here where ships were made, where immigrants settled, and where the might of Wisconsin’s
commercial and industrial core was forged … made possible by the 1200-mile water highway
that is the Great Lakes.
And it is here today where the state of Wisconsin and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
are working together to shine a spotlight on Wisconsin’s storied past, and present
it on a national stage.