A Passion for Exploration

The phrase “Exploration is an Obsession” was probably inspired by someone like Steve Libert, president of Great Lakes Exploration Group, LLC. "Human progress depends on exploration and discovery,” he says. “And I think individual explorers still have an important role to play.”

History and legendary tales have inspired Libert’s imagination. His main drive is to unravel the truth of the events from the mysteries and legends that have come down to us. “I’m a researcher at heart, not a historian,” Libert admits. "Human progress depends on exploration and discovery,” he adds. “And I think individual explorers still have an important role to play.”

It hasn’t been an easy ride for Libert. His determination is characteristic of what it takes to be an explorer in the 21st century or, for that matter, an explorer 325 years earlier exploring a new frontier in the New World. In any event, both explorers would probably say that their stories are similar in many ways – much money is spent and many obstacles are encountered on the way to the most meaningful discoveries.

Libert has spent 28 years researching and studying the history of the Griffon, the first European-owned vessel to sail the upper Great Lakes. He is driven by the prospect of finding a vital part of our country’s history.

An Underwater Time Capsule

If the wreck Libert has found is the Griffon, it will be a find of tremendous historical significance. The Griffon was built by Rene-Robert Sieur de La Salle, one of the first French explorers of the Great Lakes Region. He would later claim the lands west of the Mississippi for France, lands that eventually became part of what is presently known as the Louisiana Purchase. “The ship is a time capsule that will fill the missing gaps of La Salle’s early exploration of North America,” says Libert.

Excavation of the ship will tell us much about the history of our country and how our ancestors lived. In particular, the wreck is a record of ship construction of that period, about which relatively little is known. La Salle constructed the Griffon on the banks of the Niagara River, about three miles above the falls. It is still not known whether the Griffon was built on the Canadian of the U.S. side. If the wreckage is the Griffon, however, we may have an answer to that part of the puzzle.

The fact that the Griffon was built in the wilderness, as opposed to a shipyard, will reveal the circumstances La Salle and his men faced and the tools and technology they possessed. The ship was built with timber cut on site. The exact dimensions of the vessel are not known. It is however believed to have been 45 tun*, 30 to 40 feet in length with a 10 to 15 foot beam and a single mast with several square sails.

La Salle intended to use the Griffon as a commercial vessel. With the support of King Louis XIV, he financed his search for the mouth of the Mississippi with the proceeds from the lucrative fur trade. Some however regard the Griffon as a “vessel of war” because of the five to seven cannons it had mounted.

The Voyage of the Griffon

The Griffon’s maiden voyage started from Niagara on August 7, 1679. La Salle and 34 men sailed across Lake Erie to present day Detroit and then to St Ignace, near the Straits of Mackinac, finally stopping at safe anchorage on the shores of Green Bay. On September 18, 1679, La Salle dispatched a crew of six to sail the Griffon, which was loaded with some 6000 pounds of furs, tools, and trade goods back to Niagara.

The Griffon sailed from what is known today as Washington Harbor on Washington Island. Father Hennepin, a Franciscan Recollect friar who had accompanied La Salle on the expedition, records that the ship fired a single cannon shot as it set sail. Hennepin also writes that those on land did not know what course the ship had taken once it left anchorage. The Griffon was never seen again.

Rumors, Legends, and Speculation

From this point on, there are plenty of rumors and legends that have circulated, but history has been silent. One theory is that Indians captured the crew, took the furs and burned the ship. La Salle himself came to believe that the captain and crew had mutinied, stolen the furs, and scuttled the ship.

The most common explanation is that the ship was lost during one of the severe storms that often frequent the Great Lakes during this time of the year. It is known that there was a tremendous storm on the day after the Griffon left Washington Harbor on September 18th. The ship may well have sunk in that storm.

There is some support for this theory in Father Hennepin’s diary, where he notes that Indians later told La Salle they had come across the Griffon at anchor in the northern part of the lake. The Indians advised the captain to keep close to shore, but the captain was apparently not inclined to heed the Indian’s advice and weighed anchor. They later observed the ship being tossed and turned while making no headway in the violent seas and winds. The next day they returned to check on the crew but there was no trace of the ship to be seen.

325 Years Later, Has the Griffon Been Found?

La Salle’s expedition and the loss of the Griffon in September of 1679 was of great historical significance to our country’s founding and important for New France (Canada), where La Salle set out to explore the new frontier. Now, 325 years later, another expedition may prove to be just as important. Libert’s experience sailing and diving in the Great Lakes convinced him that the Griffon had left Washington Island and had anchored in the northern waters of Lake Michigan. Libert believes that the storm of September 19 – 23rd suddenly engulfed the ship soon after hoisting anchor. He speculates it probably happened quickly and that the Griffon foundered in huge waves and went straight to the bottom of the lake intact. “That would be the ideal scenario.” Libert however concedes, “the vessel may have struck a sand bar and broke apart”. The water is extremely cold and everyone on board could have succumbed to hypothermia within minutes. If the ship foundered, it would be consistent with the fact that no debris has ever been found.

Even if the wreck turns out not to be the Griffon, archeologist Scott Demel, Ph.d, of Chicago’s Field Museum, believes the ship will still be a very noteworthy archaeological find. There are thousands of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, few of which have ever been recovered.

**All quotes from Father Hennepin's Diary.