History of Great Lakes in Timeline

The Great Lakes, a chain of interconnected freshwater lakes straddling the Canada-United States border, comprise Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. These lakes facilitate water travel and shipping via the Great Lakes Waterway. They connect to the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence River and to the Mississippi River basin via the Illinois Waterway, forming a crucial bi-national water system.

1900: Commercial fishing hauls

By 1900, commercial fishermen on Lake Michigan were hauling in an average of 41 million pounds of fish annually.

October 11, 1907: Sinking of the Cyprus

On October 11, 1907, the Cyprus, a 420-foot ore carrier, sank during a Lake Superior storm, resulting in the death of 22 of its 23 crew members.

1909: Establishment of the International Joint Commission

In 1909, the International Joint Commission was established to address disputes relating to boundary water use and quality between Canada and the United States.

1915: SS Eastland disaster

In 1915, the SS Eastland rolled over at a Chicago dock while loading passengers, resulting in 841 deaths.

1918: Disappearance of Inkerman and Cerisoles

In 1918, the French minesweepers Inkerman and Cerisoles vanished in Lake Superior during a blizzard, resulting in 78 deaths.

1938: Wisconsin fishing operations

By 1938, Wisconsin's commercial fishing operations were motorized and mechanized, generating jobs for more than 2,000 workers, and hauling 14 million pounds per year.

1950: Common sight on the lakes

One of the more common sights on the Great Lakes since about 1950 has been the 1,000-by-105-foot (305 by 32 m), 78,850-long-ton (80,120-metric-ton) self-unloader.

1970: Mercury not listed as harmful

Until 1970, mercury was not listed as a harmful chemical, according to the United States Federal Water Quality Administration.

1972: Environmental Atlas and Resource Book

In 1972, "The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book" noted that "Only pockets remain of the once large commercial fishery."

1972: First U.S. Clean Water Act passed

In 1972, the first U.S. Clean Water Act was passed, along with the bi-national Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement signed by Canada and the U.S.

November 10, 1975: SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks

On November 10, 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest and last major freighter wrecked on the Great Lakes, sank just over 17 miles offshore from Whitefish Point on Lake Superior.

1986: Ruffe detected in Saint Louis River

In 1986, the ruffe, a small percid fish from Eurasia, became the most abundant fish species in Lake Superior's Saint Louis River within five years of its detection.

1986: U.S. Water Resources Development Act

Under the U.S. "Water Resources Development Act of 1986", diversion of water from the Great Lakes Basin requires the approval of all eight Great Lakes governors through the Great Lakes Commission.

1988: Zebra mussel discovered

In 1988, the zebra mussel was first discovered in the Great Lakes.

1989: Quagga mussel discovered

In 1989, the quagga mussel was first discovered in the Great Lakes.

1994: Collingwood Harbour "de-listed"

In 1994, Ontario's Collingwood Harbour was the first of 43 "Great Lakes Areas of Concern" to be formally "de-listed" through successful cleanup.

1996: Lake Huron cyclone

In 1996, a rare tropical or subtropical storm formed in Lake Huron, dubbed the 1996 Lake Huron cyclone.

March 6, 1998: Lake Champlain designated as a Great Lake

On March 6, 1998, Lake Champlain briefly became the sixth Great Lake of the United States when President Clinton signed Senate Bill 927.

1998: Nova Group water withdrawal plan

In 1998, the Canadian company Nova Group received approval to withdraw Lake Superior water for shipment to Asian countries, a plan later abandoned due to public outcry.

2000: Quagga mussel smothers Lake Michigan

Since 2000, the invasive quagga mussel has smothered the bottom of Lake Michigan almost from shore to shore, and their numbers are estimated at 900 trillion.

2002: Tonnage of dry bulk cargo moved on the Great Lakes

In 2002, 162 million net tons of dry bulk cargo were moved on the Great Lakes.

2003: Severn Sound "de-listed"

In 2003, Ontario's Severn Sound followed Collingwood Harbour in being "de-listed" as a Great Lakes Area of Concern.

2004: Possible discovery of Le Griffon wreck

In 2004, a wreck was potentially discovered that may have been that of Le Griffon, the first ship to sink in Lake Michigan.

December 13, 2005: Signing of Great Lakes agreements

On December 13, 2005, the Great Lakes Governors and Premiers signed the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact.

2007: Car ferry services crossing the Great Lakes

As of 2007, four car ferry services cross the Great Lakes, two on Lake Michigan, one on Lake Erie and one on Lake Huron.

2007: Discovery of Cyprus wreckage

In 2007, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced the discovery of the wreckage of the Cyprus, which sank in 1907.

2007: Economic impact of zebra mussel

In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that the economic impact of the zebra mussel could be about $5 billion over the next decade.

October 3, 2008: Great Lakes Compact signed into law

On October 3, 2008, President George W. Bush signed the Great Lakes Compact into law.

2008: Discovery of HMS Ontario wreck

In 2008, deep-sea divers found the wreck of the 1780 Royal Navy warship HMS Ontario in Lake Ontario.

2009: International Joint Commission report

In 2009, the International Joint Commission reported that treatment to reduce pollution from waste water discharges to the Great Lakes had improved considerably since the early 1970s.

2010: Discovery of L.R. Doty wreck

In 2010, the L.R. Doty, a ship that sank in 1898, was found in Lake Michigan by an exploration diving team.

2011: Cyanobacteria problematic on Lake Erie

Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria blooms, have been problematic on Lake Erie since 2011.

2011: Anti-depressant drugs in fish brains

Fish in the Great Lakes had twenty times the level of anti-depressants in their brains than what is in the water in 2011-2014, leading to the fish being exceedingly happy and hence less risk-averse, to the extent of damaging the fish populations.

2011: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funding

In 2011, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was funded at $475 million in the U.S. federal government's Fiscal Year budget.

2011: Goderich, Ontario tornado

In 2011, the Great Lakes helped intensify storms, one of them being the Goderich, Ontario tornado, which moved onshore as a tornadic waterspout.

2011: Last Milwaukee commercial fisherman left

The last commercial fisherman left Milwaukee in 2011 because of overfishing and anthropogenic changes to the biosphere.

2012: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funding

In 2012, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was funded at $300 million in the U.S. federal government's Fiscal Year budget.

2012: Long-term study of micro-organisms began

Only since 2012 has there been a long-term study of the lakes' micro-organisms.

2013: Record low lake levels

In 2013, Lakes Superior, Erie, and Michigan-Huron experienced record low water levels.

2014: Anti-depressant drugs in fish brains

2014: Another claim of discovering Le Griffon

In 2014, another wreck discovered in a different location was also claimed to be the Le Griffon, the first ship to sail the Great Lakes.

2015: Largest Lake Erie bloom

The largest Lake Erie bloom to date occurred in 2015, exceeding the severity index at 10.5.

August 2019: Satellite images of Lake Erie Bloom

In early August 2019, satellite images depicted a bloom stretching up to 1,300 square kilometres on Lake Erie, with the heaviest concentration near Toledo, Ohio.

2019: New species discovered

Between 2012 and 2019 more than 160 new species have been discovered in the Great Lakes.

2019: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act

In 2019, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act was passed as Pub. L. 116-294.

2020: Record high lake levels

In 2020, Lakes Superior, Erie, and Michigan-Huron experienced record high water levels, following record lows in 2013.

2020: Seabin plastic trash capturing project

In 2020, self-operating floating devices called Seabin, were put in the Great Lakes to capture plastic trash as part of the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup project.