Back in the day, the Great Lakes were a very big deal because of their capacity for allowing trade ships to pass through their massive waters. In no other area was that more apparent than in Lake Huron, where hundreds of ships traversed on their way to other parts of the United States and Canada. Here, we tell the story of Shipwreck Cove, where untold numbers of these vessels were recently discovered to have sunken to their demise. News of their discovery made the internet go bananas. Some of these pictures will explain why.

1. Explorers and traders have been traveling the Great Lakes for more than 12,000 years.
By Sharon Mollerus - originally posted to Flickr as Thunder Bay, CC BY 2.0
2. The last 150 years have been especially significant, making the region one of the busiest waterways in the world.
By Jacques-Nicolas Bellin - Atlas Homannianus Mathematic-Historice Delineatus, (Homann Heirs, Nuremburg), 1755.This file was provided to Wikimedia Commons by Geographicus Rare Antique Maps, a specialist dealer in rare maps and other cartography of the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, as part of a cooperation project.Deutsch | English | français | македонски | Nederlands | polski | +/−, Public Domain
3. More than 200 steamboats, majestic schooners, and giant steel freighters wrecked near Thunder Bay alone.
By This image or file is a work of a United States Coast Guard service personnel or employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain (17 U.S.C. § 101 and § 105, USCG main privacy policy and specific privacy policy for its imagery server).English | italiano | македонски | українська | മലയാളം | +/− - http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/thunderbayisland.JPG, Public Domain
4. The result, a sanctuary of shipwrecks that capture some of the most dramatic moments in the transformation of America.
PunkToad/Flickr

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5. The shipwrecks illustrate a time of huge growth and remind us of the many risks taken to achieve that growth. The best part is that Lake Huron's fresh water helps keep these vessels incredibly preserved.
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory/Flickr
6. Therefore, many of these sites remain virtually untouched after more than 150 years.
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory/Flickr
8. In deeper waters, explorers can find full masts still standing, with deck hardware intact, and personal belongings remaining.
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory/Flickr
9. Even in shallow waters, these ships are still visible to the average visitor.
James Saper/Flickr
9. Kayakers, scuba divers, and snorkelers can still visit these sites... Making for some amazing selfie ops, as pictured here.
Michael Schout/Flickr

Pretty crazy, right? Tell us, have you been through this otherworldly sanctuary?

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