The 'Lake Michigan Triangle' Mystery

ALien · 01-08-2009, 09:19 PM

Quote:

The Lake Michigan triangle is said to have similar characteristics of the Bermuda Triangle and is said to be a place of ghost ships, strange disappearances and even UFO sightings.

"There's been some strange disappearances out there, there's been many ships that have been lost that haven't been found."

Bill Wangemann is a historian from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He's spent a lifetime gathering tales about the Lake Michigan triangle.

According to author Linda S. Godfrey in her book 'Weird Michigan' (2006), the Michigan Triangle starts from the town of Ludington to Benton Harbor in Michigan; another links from Benton Harbor to Manitowoc, Wisconsin; the final side connects Manitowoc back to Ludington.

But the legend doesn't end with sunken ships; nearly 40 planes have disappeared over Lake Michigan too. Probably the most famous is northwest airlines flight 2501 that took off from New York City headed for Minneapolis in June of 1950 and plunged into Lake Michigan just off Benton Harbor. No one survived.

Then, there are the sightings of UFO's and other strange anomalies in the sky. In fact there have been so many sightings of strange objects and phantom planes that the Federal Aviation Administration created a special lake reporting service to catalog the reported sightings.

And yet still, thousands make the journey through the Triangle every season.

Captain Kevin Fitch of the Badger Ferry has been sailing Lake Michigan waters for nearly 30 years, "I've heard of it, I don't put a lot of faith in it but I have heard of it. Little bits and pieces here and there."

He says in the thousand trips he's made across the lake he's never seen anything strange. "I can't think of anything that didn't have an explanation of some kind."

So Captain Fitch continues to guide the ferry through what Wangemann says is considered the most dangerous part of the triangle.

"There's dozen's of these stories about different things that have occurred out there and people that have been lost and sailors that have disappeared off of ships and some people claim that there is something supernatural going on out on the lake," says Wangemann.

The wreck of the schooner Rosa Belle and the loss of 11 crew members and passengers, all members of the Benton Harbor cult House of David, shocked the nation in the fall of 1921. The wreck was discovered on Oct. 30, floating upside down by the Grand Trunk car ferry Ann Arbor No. 4. The captain of the ferry said it appeared as if the schooner had been in a collision with another vessel. But no other ship was found to have been in a collision that week. The aft section was smashed, the cabin was wrenched away from the deck and the ship’s rigging was floating loosely about the hull. The mystery of what happened to the Rosa Belle was never solved.

Strange too was the fact that it was the second almost identical wreck for the Rosa Belle. The vessel capsized in the same area and drifted ashore near Grand Haven, Michigan, in August, 1875. Ten crew members were lost. The wreck was recovered at that time and rebuilt.

Among the strangest of the mysteries was the disappearance of the schooner Thomas Hume, which disappeared without a trace in a Lake Michigan gale on May 21, 1891, while sailing empty from Chicago to Muskegon, Michigan to pick up a load of lumber. Seven sailors, including Captain George C. Albrecht, were lost with the ship. Even though the lake was searched thoroughly, not a stick of lumber or piece of flotsam from a wreck was ever found. Old sailors speculated that the Hume, a wooden vessel, could not have sunk without some wreckage floating away. To this day, the Hume’s disappearance remains unsolved.

One of the most famous stories of disappearing crew members includes the freighter O.M. McFarland.

In April 1937, Captain George Donnor was heading to Port Washington, Wisconsin, "He decided to retire to his cabin for a nap, and he gave orders to be aroused about 6pm. And they went to his cabin and he was gone. The story was the cabin was locked from the inside and nobody knows what happened to him till this day," says Wangemann.

During the time of Captain Donnor's disappearance the McFarland was crossing through the nexus of the Lake Michigan triangle along the same course of the Badger Ferry.

As the Badger Ferry continues on its journey, passengers are unaware of what might lurk in the deep lake waters. John Fangman: "I know there's a lot of mystery about the great lakes and legend and folklore."

Bill Wangemann says there are some tails of sea monsters. "Many years ago there were people that swore they saw sea monsters on the shore here," says Wagemann.

And some of the witness have quite a bit of credibility, "A Catholic priest went for a walk he saw this beast on the shore he said it was big and the color green," says Wangemann. (See videos below - mysterious footprints on shore (alien?)

Sea monsters, ghost ships, disappearing planes and crew members, unidentified flying objects. It's the making of a good science fiction movie or a good legend.

Either way it certainly gives you something to think about as you look out onto Lake Michigan wondering what secrets she's keeping in her deep dark waters.

kidflash2008 · 01-09-2009, 10:29 AM

People seem to forget the Great Lakes can have terrible storms. I don't think there is much of a mystery, but it is worth investigating.

raves475 · 01-09-2009, 01:08 PM

I've heard of one in Lake Superior too, supposedly causing the sinking of the Fitzgerald.

All.as1 · 01-09-2009, 02:26 PM

I am from the Sault Ste Marie area its near the narrowest part of the U.P. The Soo is about 45 minutes away from Lake Michigan. I have been fascinated with that lake since I could read. And around the Mackinac Bridge area you can find signs all over the place that will tell you some of the depths of the two lake that kiss(lake Huron & Lake Michigan) I have read that in some place near the Mackinac Bridge it is nearly 2000 feet deep!! My uncle is a verry verry avid fisherman and takes place in many tournaments in the great lakes. Well I had just happened to join him in one such fishing trip just to relax and let loose Salmon fishing.Well we started out in Escanaba for the sake it was easier he lived in Marquette and I in the Soo. Well we passed through green bay and were about rite in between south Manitou Isle and Sturgeon bay when the depthfinder dropped from about 200 something i think...to about 600....about 800 feet it stayed rite at 800 and then the depth finder just bolted and i mean bolted to about 100 some odd feet. We encountered these what i like to call Pits about 3 times in that area all around the same depth but then rocketed rite back up to 100. These lakes are just telling stories but we just dont listen hard enough. And I know that Lake Superior is also a hot spot for unexplainable activity.

All.as1 · 01-09-2009, 03:01 PM

I think that those pits go deeper too. also I have this on the Fitzgerald.

November 10, 1975 the bulk freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior with all hands. This page is dedicated to the memory of the 29 men lost that night and the families they left behind.

The Fitzgerald cleared Superior, Wisconsin, on her last trip on November 9, 1975, with a cargo of 26,116 tons of taconite pellets consigned to Detroit. Traveling down Lake Superior in company with ARTHUR M. ANDERSON of the United States Steel Corporation's Great Lakes Fleet, she encountered heavy weather and in the early evening of November 10th, suddenly foundered approximately 17 miles from the entrance to Whitefish Bay (47º North Latitude, 85º 7' West Longitude)

Captain McSorley of the "FITZ" had indicated he was having difficulty and was taking on water. She was listing to port and had two of three ballast pumps working. She had lost her radar and damage was noted to ballast tank vent pipes and he was overheard on the radio saying, "don't allow nobody (sic) on deck." McSorley said it was the worst storm he had ever seen. All 29 officers and crew, including a Great Lakes Maritime Academy cadet, went down with the ship, which lies broken in two sections in 530 feet of water.

Click here to hear the captain of the Arthur M. Anderson reporting the suspected loss to the Coast Guard that night.
You will need the Real Audio player to listen
please click here to down load the player.

Surveyed by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1976 using the U.S. Navy CURV III system, the wreckage consisted of an upright bow section, approximately 275 feet long and an inverted stern section, about 253 feet long, and a debris field comprised of the rest of the hull in between. Both sections lie within 170 feet of each other.

The EDMUND FITZGERALD was removed from documentation January, 1976.

The National Transportation Safety Board unanimously voted on March 23, 1978 to reject the U. S. Coast Guard's official report supporting the theory of faulty hatches. Later the N.T.S.B. revised its verdict and reached a majority vote to agree that the sinking was caused by taking on water through one or more hatch covers damaged by the impact of heavy seas over her deck.

This is contrary to the Lake Carriers Association's contention that her foundering was caused by flooding through bottom and ballast tank damage resulting from bottoming on the Six Fathom Shoal between Caribou and Michipicoten Islands.

The U.S. Coast Guard, report on August 2, 1977 cited faulty hatch covers, lack of water tight cargo hold bulkheads and damage caused from an undetermined source.

AN UNDETERMINED SOURCE

kissbang · 01-09-2009, 05:08 PM

All.as1

I have to agree with you, In regard to the extreme variance in depth of some areas of the Northern Great lakes, a friend of mine who is a avid diver has found fissure's in the bottom of the St. Clair river, just south of the mouth of lake Huron. After his discovery he returned with a diver's flashlite to investigate, entering the cavern at about the 100 ft. depth he descended into the darkness, traveling down to depths unknown untill he lost his nerve and air time.

Due to the sedimentary nature of the bottom, which consist's of a lime stone makeup. Narrower area's of the river where a high volume of water is forced through expose's the stone and forms fissures.
I'm sure the area where you and your uncle set off the depth finder is similar.

All.as1 · 01-09-2009, 07:42 PM

Yes and I forgot to add probly one of the most important things that I have studied about the Great Lakes. Since I was a kid I listened to many old fisherman who said that they had cought many large creatures that did not belong to Lake Michigan they said some were to big for the boat, one man said said he cut the line on one because it was so scary looking, he said it was like a fish but it had huge white bulbs or bubbles on it that sucked in and out of its skin...also(snapped lines are just a regular part of fishing when on Lake Michigan) Some say that they had reported the creatures to the local DNR offices and never heard a word of it again.Creatures have been found in Lake Michigan that have not even been found in the see. Though I understand that freighters sometimes release ballas water that came from the ocean(which is HIGHLY ILLEGAL)...it lead to the break out of creatures such as the Zebra Muscle which has devestated the vegetation in the lakes, and also a few different types of Goby fish(horrible little bastards that eat hatchling fish and depleated a large portion of the walleye population). ..Lets face it the DNR is opperated by the Government...but it still why should they be so hush hush?

kidflash2008 · 01-10-2009, 09:40 AM

There may even be a saucer in the bottom of Lake Superior. That rumor has been going on for a while, and even if it is deemed false, it is worth a look.

Hopefully the incoming administration will take the Great Lakes ecology more seriously and deal with the encroachment of unwanted fish populating and destroying the native species.

All.as1 · 01-10-2009, 07:38 PM

Sorry I may have been a little bit rash when I last stated "Creatures have been found in Lake Michigan that have not even been found in the sea." I have no conclusive evidence of this. But I know by word of mouth that the Lake Michigan Triangle is said to start at Benton Harbor (Michigan) to Manitowoc (Wisconsin) then to Ludington(Michigan) and back to Benton Harbor. Of course there is no proof thats correct...Where I encountered the "pits" or possible "fissures" about (guessing) 54 miles away from the triangle. And not to forget Kissbang what you have said about Lime stone; scientists theorize that glaciars carved the great lakes to be what they for the most part are today. On the northern side of Lake Michigan...rite at the mackinac bridge I have seen what is called Limestone cobble. This occurs when limestone (boulders) are spread all across a beach...It is spread all around the tip of the mit. Which would make sense that a good part of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron had a damn good bit of Limestone under them and I would imagine still do. We are one of the bigest providers of it along with Iron ore, gold, sulfer..and a good number more. Now Ufo's under Lake Michigan...There are countless reports of ufo activity and said proof. (example) one sighting that has pictures state an object showing a bright purple corona discharge caused by the high G-forces during a violent turn estimated at 748 G's. (http://doorbell.net/tlr/ufo.htm ) If you ask me I would not have an answer if it was fake because it looks like an old photo..but also could have easily been photo shopped. Another site with a story that I found fairly close is (http://www.ufoinfo.com/roundup/v03/rnd03_51.shtml)also. Some reports have also said that a ufo has hovered rite over top of Lake Michigan and then a second ufo showed up and then the two emited bright flashes simultaneously then quickly disapeared. That I feel is an extra interesting one myself.

All.as1 · 01-10-2009, 07:43 PM

Sorry I just read this and Ill just say sorry if I sound like a cocky prick. LOL

01-09-2009, 05:08 PM	#6
kissbang Junior Investigator Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 92	All.as1 I have to agree with you, In regard to the extreme variance in depth of some areas of the Northern Great lakes, a friend of mine who is a avid diver has found fissure's in the bottom of the St. Clair river, just south of the mouth of lake Huron. After his discovery he returned with a diver's flashlite to investigate, entering the cavern at about the 100 ft. depth he descended into the darkness, traveling down to depths unknown untill he lost his nerve and air time. Due to the sedimentary nature of the bottom, which consist's of a lime stone makeup. Narrower area's of the river where a high volume of water is forced through expose's the stone and forms fissures. I'm sure the area where you and your uncle set off the depth finder is similar. __________________ "Destiny come's to those who listen, and fate finds the rest" Last edited by kissbang; 01-09-2009 at 05:13 PM. Reason: I find it hard to check for errors due to the narrow window

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01-09-2009, 10:29 AM	#2
kidflash2008 Senior Investigator Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,726	People seem to forget the Great Lakes can have terrible storms. I don't think there is much of a mystery, but it is worth investigating.

01-09-2009, 01:08 PM	#3
raves475 Investigator Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: United States Posts: 123	I've heard of one in Lake Superior too, supposedly causing the sinking of the Fitzgerald.

01-09-2009, 02:26 PM	#4
All.as1 Junior Investigator Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 8	I am from the Sault Ste Marie area its near the narrowest part of the U.P. The Soo is about 45 minutes away from Lake Michigan. I have been fascinated with that lake since I could read. And around the Mackinac Bridge area you can find signs all over the place that will tell you some of the depths of the two lake that kiss(lake Huron & Lake Michigan) I have read that in some place near the Mackinac Bridge it is nearly 2000 feet deep!! My uncle is a verry verry avid fisherman and takes place in many tournaments in the great lakes. Well I had just happened to join him in one such fishing trip just to relax and let loose Salmon fishing.Well we started out in Escanaba for the sake it was easier he lived in Marquette and I in the Soo. Well we passed through green bay and were about rite in between south Manitou Isle and Sturgeon bay when the depthfinder dropped from about 200 something i think...to about 600....about 800 feet it stayed rite at 800 and then the depth finder just bolted and i mean bolted to about 100 some odd feet. We encountered these what i like to call Pits about 3 times in that area all around the same depth but then rocketed rite back up to 100. These lakes are just telling stories but we just dont listen hard enough. And I know that Lake Superior is also a hot spot for unexplainable activity.

01-09-2009, 03:01 PM	#5
All.as1 Junior Investigator Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 8	I think that those pits go deeper too. also I have this on the Fitzgerald. November 10, 1975 the bulk freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior with all hands. This page is dedicated to the memory of the 29 men lost that night and the families they left behind. The Fitzgerald cleared Superior, Wisconsin, on her last trip on November 9, 1975, with a cargo of 26,116 tons of taconite pellets consigned to Detroit. Traveling down Lake Superior in company with ARTHUR M. ANDERSON of the United States Steel Corporation's Great Lakes Fleet, she encountered heavy weather and in the early evening of November 10th, suddenly foundered approximately 17 miles from the entrance to Whitefish Bay (47º North Latitude, 85º 7' West Longitude) Captain McSorley of the "FITZ" had indicated he was having difficulty and was taking on water. She was listing to port and had two of three ballast pumps working. She had lost her radar and damage was noted to ballast tank vent pipes and he was overheard on the radio saying, "don't allow nobody (sic) on deck." McSorley said it was the worst storm he had ever seen. All 29 officers and crew, including a Great Lakes Maritime Academy cadet, went down with the ship, which lies broken in two sections in 530 feet of water. Click here to hear the captain of the Arthur M. Anderson reporting the suspected loss to the Coast Guard that night. You will need the Real Audio player to listen please click here to down load the player. Surveyed by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1976 using the U.S. Navy CURV III system, the wreckage consisted of an upright bow section, approximately 275 feet long and an inverted stern section, about 253 feet long, and a debris field comprised of the rest of the hull in between. Both sections lie within 170 feet of each other. The EDMUND FITZGERALD was removed from documentation January, 1976. The National Transportation Safety Board unanimously voted on March 23, 1978 to reject the U. S. Coast Guard's official report supporting the theory of faulty hatches. Later the N.T.S.B. revised its verdict and reached a majority vote to agree that the sinking was caused by taking on water through one or more hatch covers damaged by the impact of heavy seas over her deck. This is contrary to the Lake Carriers Association's contention that her foundering was caused by flooding through bottom and ballast tank damage resulting from bottoming on the Six Fathom Shoal between Caribou and Michipicoten Islands. The U.S. Coast Guard, report on August 2, 1977 cited faulty hatch covers, lack of water tight cargo hold bulkheads and damage caused from an undetermined source. AN UNDETERMINED SOURCE

01-09-2009, 07:42 PM	#7
All.as1 Junior Investigator Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 8	Yes and I forgot to add probly one of the most important things that I have studied about the Great Lakes. Since I was a kid I listened to many old fisherman who said that they had cought many large creatures that did not belong to Lake Michigan they said some were to big for the boat, one man said said he cut the line on one because it was so scary looking, he said it was like a fish but it had huge white bulbs or bubbles on it that sucked in and out of its skin...also(snapped lines are just a regular part of fishing when on Lake Michigan) Some say that they had reported the creatures to the local DNR offices and never heard a word of it again.Creatures have been found in Lake Michigan that have not even been found in the see. Though I understand that freighters sometimes release ballas water that came from the ocean(which is HIGHLY ILLEGAL)...it lead to the break out of creatures such as the Zebra Muscle which has devestated the vegetation in the lakes, and also a few different types of Goby fish(horrible little bastards that eat hatchling fish and depleated a large portion of the walleye population). ..Lets face it the DNR is opperated by the Government...but it still why should they be so hush hush?

01-10-2009, 09:40 AM	#8
kidflash2008 Senior Investigator Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,726	There may even be a saucer in the bottom of Lake Superior. That rumor has been going on for a while, and even if it is deemed false, it is worth a look. Hopefully the incoming administration will take the Great Lakes ecology more seriously and deal with the encroachment of unwanted fish populating and destroying the native species.

01-10-2009, 07:38 PM	#9
All.as1 Junior Investigator Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 8	Sorry I may have been a little bit rash when I last stated "Creatures have been found in Lake Michigan that have not even been found in the sea." I have no conclusive evidence of this. But I know by word of mouth that the Lake Michigan Triangle is said to start at Benton Harbor (Michigan) to Manitowoc (Wisconsin) then to Ludington(Michigan) and back to Benton Harbor. Of course there is no proof thats correct...Where I encountered the "pits" or possible "fissures" about (guessing) 54 miles away from the triangle. And not to forget Kissbang what you have said about Lime stone; scientists theorize that glaciars carved the great lakes to be what they for the most part are today. On the northern side of Lake Michigan...rite at the mackinac bridge I have seen what is called Limestone cobble. This occurs when limestone (boulders) are spread all across a beach...It is spread all around the tip of the mit. Which would make sense that a good part of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron had a damn good bit of Limestone under them and I would imagine still do. We are one of the bigest providers of it along with Iron ore, gold, sulfer..and a good number more. Now Ufo's under Lake Michigan...There are countless reports of ufo activity and said proof. (example) one sighting that has pictures state an object showing a bright purple corona discharge caused by the high G-forces during a violent turn estimated at 748 G's. (http://doorbell.net/tlr/ufo.htm ) If you ask me I would not have an answer if it was fake because it looks like an old photo..but also could have easily been photo shopped. Another site with a story that I found fairly close is (http://www.ufoinfo.com/roundup/v03/rnd03_51.shtml)also. Some reports have also said that a ufo has hovered rite over top of Lake Michigan and then a second ufo showed up and then the two emited bright flashes simultaneously then quickly disapeared. That I feel is an extra interesting one myself.

01-10-2009, 07:43 PM	#10
All.as1 Junior Investigator Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 8	Sorry I just read this and Ill just say sorry if I sound like a cocky prick. LOL