A steamship that sank in Lake Michigan in the late 1800s was found “remarkably intact” at the bottom of the lake in 2023 -- more than 130 years later.

WHITEHALL, Mich. – A change in Lake Michigan water levels has revealed a shipwreck from the 1880s that is visible in western Michigan for the first time since 2018. Experts believe it’s the wooden spine of the Contest, said Craig Rich, director of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association. The wreckage is along the shore in Muskegon County, near where the White Lake channel meets Lake Michigan. In 2018, major parts were seen for the first time since 1974, a result of changes in lake current, water levels and sand. “Things get covered and uncovered all the time.”There was speculation in 2018 that the shipwreck was another schooner, the LC Woodruff.

HOLLAND, Mich. – Researchers are setting out again in search of the remains of Northwest Airlines Flight 2501 that disappeared over Lake Michigan nearly 70 years ago. The airplane was carrying 58 people from New York to Seattle when it went missing in 1950. The Michigan Shipwreck Research Association has spent years searching for Flight 2501, discovering 10 shipwrecks along the way. Researchers plan to narrow the search area and use more advanced equipment this spring. The association has teamed up with Greg Busch, an oceanographer and owner of Busch Marine in Freeland.