Le Griffon Launched on the Great Lakes: First Sailing Ship Above Niagara
Le Griffon was the first full-sized sailing ship to navigate the upper Great Lakes of North America. René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, had it built to carry furs from the interior to Lake Ontario. It was launched in August 1679, sailed to Green Bay on Lake Michigan, loaded with furs, and sent back east. It never arrived. Somewhere on the Great Lakes, Le Griffon disappeared — the first recorded shipwreck on the upper lakes. The furs, the crew, the ship: all gone. The search for the wreck has been ongoing for over 300 years.
August 7, 1679
347 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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