Ships, Autos, and More Lie at the Bottom of the St. Clair River

Holy cow…how did all this stuff get here? Where did it come from? The bottom of the St. Clair River is littered with hundreds of things…..literally hundreds if not thousands.

The St. Clair River is no stranger to travelers. In the 1700s, the French canoed up and down the river to trade with the Ojibwa tribes. In the 1800s, ships built in Marine City and Port Huron transported immigrants up and down these waters…..mainly to the Upper Peninsula, where many settled, created new towns, and made their living in lumber or mining.

Many freighters came through here, with loads of ore and grain. So, sure, there were bound to be some accidents, spillovers, and lost & discarded items that ended up resting on the bottom of the river.

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The St. Clair River happens to be the official, international boundary between the United States and Canada. Forty miles long, it connects Lake St. Clair with Lake Huron.

The gallery below shows some incredible finds that remain on the river bottom, including automobiles, boats, bridges, outboard motor, boats, concrete slabs, docks, huge fish, ships (including the William Dickinson that sank here in 1923 and the Nelson Mills, sunk in 1906), structures, and lots of other items that are completely unknown or indescribable. Photos of things found in the north channel as well as the main river stretch are featured in the gallery.