Dead Lakes, Shipwrecks, and Tombstone Towns

The Great Lakes both face and cause manmade and natural disasters. With navigable waters as dangerous as the seas, even experienced captains understand and respect the limits of the shipping season on the inland seas. Shipwrecks, erosion, and severe storms are among some of the natural hazards that threaten lives and property along the shorelines. There have been at least 25 killer storms affecting the region since 1847. The most famous situation of a natural disaster at work is the sudden disappearance and sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which is now thought to be a casualty of the "three sisters" waves phenomenon.