By mid-September of 1679, LaSalle has needed a new ship. While establishing an encampment in Wisconsin, LaSalle decided that he need another vessel to accompanying him on his journeys. On September 18th, he ordered the Griffon and a skeleton crew of six back to Niagara Falls for the requisition of the supplies necessary for him to build this new ship. Additionally, he had the Griffon filled with furs and other precious items that he wanted to bring back to the Falls for trade to get the required shipbuilding supplies. That was the last time anyone had seen the Griffon or her six man crew. The ship had mysteriously vanished!
The pursuit of trying to find the Griffon has been described as the "Holy Grail" of the Great Lakes. With current diving and scanning technologies, the hunt for the elusive ship has taken on a frenzied atmosphere. With so many rumors about the integrity and navigational skills of the officer in charge, a Danish man known as Luc, anywhere along the Great Lakes and associated tributaries were fair game for the search. In the mid-1950's quite a stir was made that the Griffon was found in Canada, in the vicinity of the Russell Island region of Georgian Bay. The theory was that the navigator, Luc, had inadvertently steered the vessel into the Bay and got lost. Other accounts had the ship and crew plundered by the Indians after a failed deal by Luc to steal the furs and cargo. Up until the mid-1970's this theory was very plausible and the find was thought to be the Griffon through anecdotal evidence. The advent of nautical archaeology was in its infancy and several leading authorities from Texas A&M had conclusively proven that the ship remains found in Georgian Bay were NOT the Griffon. So the search for the lost ship and our story ( Part III ) continue ......
Dedicated to LaSalle Senior High School Class of 1965.
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