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All the United States Michigan Maple City The Rising Sun Shipwreck

The Rising Sun Shipwreck

Hidden beneath the waters of Lake Michigan rests a perfectly intact ship from the early 1900s.

Maple City, Michigan

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Kate
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Diver exploring the shipwreck in Lake Michigan   Ethan Daniels / Alamy
Diver exploring the shipwreck in Lake Michigan   Ethan Daniels / Alamy
Floating above the shipwreck   costumerkate (atlas obscura user)
Pyramid Point   costumerkate / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Off the northern tip of Pyramid Point, as part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park, rests a gigantic steamship boiler laying at the bottom of Lake Michigan.

Back in October 1917, the steamship known as the Rising Sun was coming south through the Manitou Passage, carrying local farmers from summer island.

As the story goes, high winds whipping across the lake caused the steamship to veer off course and run aground at Pyramid Point. The passengers and crew aboard the Rising Sun braved the chilly winter waters to reach the shore and seek shelter from nearby locals in Port Oneida. 

While the people aboard the Rising Sun survived, the 133-foot ship was lost to the watery grave where it now rests. For years, the ship was unnoticed beneath the lake's waters until in 1996 the ever-shifting sands beneath the waves revealed the vessel just 12 feet below the surface, still intact. 

While Lake Michigan lacks the same colorful sea life that other diving sites boast, its chilly waters have helped to preserve the ship so that every visage of the boat can still be seen today. In short, the Rising Sun is a time capsule of life in the 1900s.

Related Tags

Shipwrecks Ships Underwater

Know Before You Go

The sand and shoreline of Pyramid Point are constantly shifting, and the water can vary from calm to choppy. If you go looking for The Rising Sun, check a map and the weather forecast first. Take a life jacket, water, and plenty of sun screen, there are no services of any kind available for miles in any direction.

Community Contributors

Added By

costumerkate

Edited By

Nikki Vargas

  • Nikki Vargas

Published

October 11, 2018

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Sources
  • https://www.traversecity.com/blog/post/the-shipwrecks-of-sleeping-bear-beckon-to-snorkelers-divers/
  • http://leelanau.com/the-wreck-of-the-rising-sun/
  • https://www.traversecity.com/blog/post/the-shipwrecks-of-sleeping-bear-beckon-to-snorkelers-divers/
The Rising Sun Shipwreck
Pyramid Point
Maple City, Michigan
United States
44.967585, -85.923806
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Cannery Boat Museum

Glen Arbor, Michigan

miles away

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Glen Arbor Township, Michigan

miles away

Carlson’s Fishery

Leland, Michigan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Michigan

Michigan

United States

Places 271
Stories 29

Nearby Places

Cannery Boat Museum

Glen Arbor, Michigan

miles away

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Glen Arbor Township, Michigan

miles away

Carlson’s Fishery

Leland, Michigan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Michigan

Michigan

United States

Places 271
Stories 29

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