Underwater archaeology is having a heyday thanks to improved sonar equipment. This new equipment can record images with increased detail and clarity which eliminates the need to for archaeological teams like those at Maritime Heritage Minnesota to dive on “anomalies” that turn out to be false targets like rocks or trees.

In 2016, Maritime Heritage Minnesota completed a survey of 7 suburban lakes using sonar technology. They identified 3 potential wrecks at the bottom of Medicine Lake. This past summer, dive teams visited these 3 sites and determined that Medicine Lake contains the following wrecks:

1. A steel boat from 1900-1905
2. A wooden boat from the 1930s, intentionally scuttled in 1966
3. A flat-bottomed wooden boat from 1910

For more information about these exciting finds as well as a number of underwater images of the wrecks, visit Maritime Heritage Minnesota’s website to read their full report.

Thank you to Ted Hoshal for his work with Maritime Heritage Minnesota on behalf of the Plymouth Historical Society.