Beneath Minnesota’s lakes is a rich history, explored and preserved partly by the Maritime Heritage Minnesota (MHM) organization.
Founders Ann Merriman and Christopher Olson are the only licensed underwater, nautical and maritime archaeologists in the state. The duo uses sonar surveys to research and document shipwrecks and other notable underwater sites, dive down to study anomalies and determine their nature, and then use the data to conduct historical research.
“MHM is particularly interested in the wrecks identified in our lakes, including Lake Minnetonka, that were constructed in Minnesota,” Merriman and Olson say.
MHM was awarded a grant from the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants Program in May to continue its seven-year-long research to identify anomalies in Lake Minnetonka. Merriman and Olson began work on this project on June 1. Check online for upcoming talks and events in the lake area.
