David Dows, 5 masted schooner in Lake Michigan?

[RDP]

Perhaps some light can be shed on a discussion about the location of the David Dows, 5 masted schooner in Lake Michigan. Some believe this wreck to be located within Illinois waters and others believe it to be in Indiana Waters. I have seen maps that depict it to reside with IL. Also, the Indiana DNR has a page claiming it to Indiana, http://www.in.gov/dnr/historic/archmonth/pdf/shipwreck.pdf.

Any info and links are appreciated.

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

This doesn't address the issue but is a nice history lesson on the Dows. 10 miles SSE of Chicago is the most exact location I can find, someone must have the coordinates stored in a GPS though.

 

[RDP]

I contacted the Indiana DNR and they will not give their coordinates of any Indiana wrecks. The contact said it was "for the public and the wrecks safety." Funny how we pay their wages, yet this isn't public domain? Must be for National Security I can understand the preservation part, but isn't that why the penalty is so stiff for those that remove items from Great Lakes wrecks?

 

[PaulChristenson]

Perhaps some light can be shed on a discussion about the location of the David Dows, 5 masted schooner in Lake Michigan. Some believe this wreck to be located within Illinois waters and others believe it to be in Indiana Waters. I have seen maps that depict it to reside with IL. Also, the Indiana DNR has a page claiming it to Indiana, http://www.in.gov/dnr/historic/archmonth/pdf/shipwreck.pdf.

Any info and links are appreciated.

Check out http://www.seawolfcommunications.com/treacherous_waters.htm

The Great Lakes Diving Guide by Cris Kohl

has data on it...

 

[Laser]

This doesn't address the issue but is a nice history lesson on the Dows. 10 miles SSE of Chicago is the most exact location I can find, someone must have the coordinates stored in a GPS though.

I think Cap Mike from Inpursuit goes to the Dows. I'm sure he has numbers on it. I'll ask him if anyone wants them.

 

[RDP]

I think Cap Mike from Inpursuit goes to the Dows. I'm sure he has numbers on it. I'll ask him if anyone wants them.

I would be interested to see if they correspond to the Loran coordinates I have.

 

[twosheets]

I have not been on it for over 4 years but here are the coordinates I recorded from the two dives we made then. N-41*46.044, W-87*23.512 These are from a Garmin 45XL and taken when GPS accuracy was not as great as it usually is today.

Have a Great Dive - twosheets!

 

[RDP]

Twosheets - Thanks for the #'s.

 

[SDAnderson]

http://home.xnet.com/~acpinc/dows.html

"She is depicted on NOAA chart 14927 (follow a line from Jackson Park Harbor East, and Buffington Harbor North - the lines intersect just above the Dows), and is easily spotted with a depth sounder. If you have a Loran, it's even simpler. The Dows is located at 33383.5 X 50201.5 (your readings may differ slightly)."

Whether the wreck lies in Illinois or Indiana is determined by where you place the northern boundary of Indiana. Various maps show the line as far north as a mile or so north of Jackson Harbor, others show the line as far south as a couple of miles south of Jackson Harbor. If anyone knows definitively where that line is, we'll be a big step closer to the answer.