The Great Lakes are as notorious for shipwrecks as they are for beauty. Since the beginning of European sailing vessels traversing the lakes, there have been more than 6,000 documented shipwrecks. Approximately 20 of those occurred on the Straits of Mackinac. Shipwreck researcher, Ric Mixter will discuss his discoveries, vessels lost on the Straits, and where to find them.

In cooperation with the St. Ignace Public Library and generous funding from the Michigan Arts & Culture Council, this is a free in-person presentation. Registration is recommended, but not required. Click here to register.

Ric Mixter is a familiar voice at Michilimackinac; you can hear him daily in the shipwreck video he produced at the shipwreck museum at Old Mackinac Point. He has appeared most recently on National Geographic Explorer and has an article in this year's Michigan History Magazine on a recent discovery he was part of in Lake Superior. Add in appearances on History, Discovery Channel and 30 shows on PBS, and you'll know why Ric is frequently asked to share stories live with audiences. 

Ric started diving in 1991, and served as SCUBA cameraman on underwater expeditions to the Great Lakes largest shipwrecks, the Edmund Fitzgerald and Carl D. Bradley.  He has interviewed dozens of shipwreck survivors over the past 15 years, including two from the 1913 Storm, two from the 1940 Armistice Day Storm and survivors from the largest shipwrecks in lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie. 

With over 20 years of stories on historical preservation, Ric was awarded the 2009 Award for Historic Interpretation by the Association for Great Lakes Maritime Historians.  In 2011 he was elected to their board of directors.  Ric was also the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association’s third president.