Navigating the Depths: Unveiling the rich maritime history of the Great Lakes

Alternate titles:

How to research life on the Great Lakes

Resources for maritime history of the Great Lakes

Archives and library collections about maritime history on the Great Lakes

There are several resources available in Michigan and the Great Lakes region about the maritime history of the Great Lakes. The following list includes libraries, archives, and museums, and also some collections at these institutions that you can see online: 

• Association for Great Lakes Maritime History: https://www.aglmh.net/ and their institutional members list: https://www.aglmh.net/institutional-members/ 
• Alpena Public Library: https://www.alpenalibrary.org/greatlakesmaritime and https://www.alpenalibrary.org/maritimefindingaids 
• Thunder Bay Research Collection https://greatlakeships.org/search
• Michigan Maritime Museum: https://www.michiganmaritimemuseum.org/ 
• Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary: Great Lakes Maritime Collection Archive: https://thunderbay.noaa.gov/heritage/maritime-collection-archive.html and https://thunderbay.noaa.gov/visit/great-lakes-maritime-heritage-center.html 
• Detroit Historical Society: Dossin Great Lakes Museum: https://detroithistorical.org/about-us/our-museums/dossin-great-lakes-museum and https://detroithistorical.org/blog/2022-01-07-detroits-first-maritime-history-museum 
• University of Detroit Mercy: Fr Edward J Dowling, SJ, Marine Historical Collection: https://libraries.udmercy.edu/archives/special-collections/?collectionSet=all&collectionCode=gls and https://www.udmercy.edu/about/news/articles/2022/11-29-great-lakes-ship-collection-part-of-detroit-mercy-legacy.php 
• Marine Historical Society of Detroit: https://www.mhsd.org/ 
• Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy: Maritime Related Reference Collections: https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/water-resources/shipwrecks/maritime-related-reference-collections
• Bowling Green State University (Ohio): Historical Collections of the Great Lakes: https://greatlakes.bgsu.edu/ and https://www.bgsu.edu/library/cac/collections/hcgl.html and https://greatlakes.bgsu.edu/vessels 
• Wisconsin Maritime Museum: https://www.wisconsinmaritime.org/ 
• University of Wisconsin Superior: Lake Superior Maritime Collection: https://library.uwsuper.edu/maritime and https://library.uwsuper.edu/maritimecollections and https://library.uwsuper.edu/maritime/ship-files and https://library.uwsuper.edu/maritime/links and https://library.uwsuper.edu/maritime/logbooks 
• University of Wisconsin Superior: Great Waters Research Collaborative: https://www.uwsuper.edu/lsri/gwrc/index.cfm
• Erie Maritime Museum (Erie, PA): https://www.eriemaritimemuseum.org/