A
Shape in the Sand
"I
kept seeing this shape. Doesn't that look like a boat? The outline of the
sand made me sure it was a boat."
David
Head
 In
late April 1990, nine-year-old David Head discovered the bow of a wooden
ship projecting from the eroding west bank of the Millecoquins River about
100 yards from the mouth of the river. He had a tough time convincing
grown-ups that he had found anything significant. "They thought it was
tree roots, or the way the bank was eroding."
Finally,
David's stepfather, David Archambeau, realized that David really had found a
boat. He reported the find to Morrie Allen, manager of the Hiawatha
Sportsman's Club, which owned the property where the wreck lay. Allen
contacted the Department of Natural Resources; DNR staff called on Michigan's
state archaeologist.
Taking
a Closer Look
State
Archaeologist John Halsey and C. Patrick Labadie of the Canal Park Marine
Museum in Duluth, Minnesota, conducted the first professional examination of
the vessel David had found.
Except
for its exposed bow, the ship was buried under about five feet of sand. Much
of the wreck was below water level. Halsey and Labadie focused on the
exposed hull. Labadie noted that the full or bluff bow of the wreck and its
12-inch standing keel were distinctive of a merchant sailing vessel built
before 1840.
Joining Forces
News of the
exciting shipwreck discovery near Naubinway in Michigan's Upper Peninsula quickly made its way around the
Great Lakes maritime history community. The Association for Great Lakes
Maritime History pledged funding for more research on the wreck and led
efforts to raise additional money. It negotiated with East Carolina
University's Program in Maritime History and Underwater Research to conduct
an archaeological excavation at the site. The Hiawatha Sportsman's Club
offered the use of its backhoe and bulldozer, as well as lodging for the
crew.
David's
Discovery
The
ship David found in 1990 held no pirate gold, but its fish hooks, barrels,
dishes and shaving kit are a treasure trove of information. They tell a
story of global trade, daily life and hard work aboard a Great Lakes fishing
schooner in the 1830s, just as Michigan was becoming a state.
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