Decades-Long Quest Ends with Discovery of Lac La Belle Wreck in Lake Michigan

The 217-foot luxury steamer Lac La Belle, which sank in a 1872 Lake Michigan gale off the Wisconsin coast, was found in October 2022 after a nearly six-decade search led by Paul Ehorn and Shipwreck World. The wreck, now mussel-covered with an intact hull and oak interiors, lie about 20 miles offshore between Racine and Kenosha; eight people died when lifeboats capsized or failed, and the discovery highlights ongoing exploration of thousands of Great Lakes wrecks.