The DeTour Passage Underwater Preserve is a preservation area in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. Located in Lake Huron, it completely surrounds

Drummond Island Drummond may refer to: Places Antarctica * Drummond Peak, King Edward VII Land * Drummond Glacier, Graham Land Canada * Drummond (electoral district), a Quebec federal riding * Drummond (provincial electoral district), Quebec * Drummon ...

and includes all of DeTour Passage and adjacent sections of Lake Huron and the St. Mary's River.

History

With the discovery of significant hematite mines in northern

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

in the late 19th century, and the construction of steel mills from the late 19th century onward in and around Cleveland, Ohio,

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, and

Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the sou ...

, the DeTour Passage became an essential element in one of the most significant commodity supply pipelines of the Great Lakes. The DeTour Passage carries almost all of the commercial water traffic that is entering or leaving

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

. In addition, quarries on Drummond Island are a rich source of commercial

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

, limestone, and aggregates, and many vessels have called upon Drummond Island to pick up stone cargoes. For these reasons, the DeTour Passage Underwater Preserve is exceptionally rich in

Lake freighter Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that operate on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. Since the late 19th century, lakers have carried bulk cargoes of ma ...

wrecks of all kinds. The shipping losses in or near the Passage are due to storms, heavy seas and

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...

. The shallow waters make it easy for divers doing such

wreck diving Wreck diving is recreational diving where the wreckage of ships, aircraft and other artificial structures are explored. Although most wreck dive sites are at shipwrecks, there is an increasing trend to scuttle retired ships to create artificia ...

activities for the remains of lost ships. A historic lighthouse, the

DeTour Reef Light The DeTour Reef Light is a non-profit-operated lighthouse marking the southern entrance of the DeTour Passage between the eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Drummond Island. The light is an automated active aid to navigation. It mark ...

, today protects continuing freight traffic through this waterway.

References

{{Greatlakes Protected areas of Chippewa County, Michigan Marine parks of Michigan Lake Huron

History

See also

References