History of Great Lakes in Timeline

The Great Lakes are a series of five large, interconnected freshwater lakes located on the border between Canada and the United States. These lakes, named Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, form a significant waterway that facilitates travel and shipping. The Great Lakes Waterway connects them, and they are further linked to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River and to the Mississippi River basin through the Illinois Waterway, making them a vital part of North America's transportation and ecological systems.

1900: Fish harvests average in 1900

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 during its second voyage. The entire crew drowned except for one survivor.

1909: Establishment of the International Joint Commission

In 1909, the International Joint Commission was established to help prevent and resolve disputes relating to the use and quality of boundary waters, and to advise Canada and the United States on questions related to water resources.

1915: SS Eastland disaster

In 1915, the SS Eastland rolled over at a Chicago dock while loading passengers, resulting in 844 fatalities.

1918: Start of water level records in 1918

Fluctuations of water levels in the Great Lakes have been observed since records began in 1918.

1918: Disappearance of the 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 in 1938

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: Development of 1,000-by-105-foot self-unloader in 1950

Since about 1950, one of the more common sights on the Great Lakes has been the 1,000-by-105-foot self-unloader.

1954: Hurricane Hazel in 1954

In 1954, the Great Lakes helped intensify storms, such as Hurricane Hazel.

1970: Mercury not listed as harmful chemical until 1970

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

1972: Clean Water Act of 1972

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

1972: Great Lakes Environmental Atlas in 1972

The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book (1972) notes: "Only pockets remain of the once large commercial fishery."

November 10, 1975: Wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald

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

1986: Water Resources Development Act

In 1986, the U.S. "Water Resources Development Act of 1986" was enacted, requiring the approval of all eight Great Lakes governors for any diversion of water from the Great Lakes Basin.

1986: Ruffe detection in 1986

In 1986, the ruffe, a small percid fish from Eurasia, was detected in Lake Superior's Saint Louis River.

1988: Zebra mussel discovered in 1988

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

1989: Quagga mussel discovered in 1989

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 in 1994.

1996: 1996 Lake Huron cyclone

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

March 6, 1998: Lake Champlain briefly became the sixth Great Lake

On March 6, 1998, Lake Champlain was briefly designated as the sixth Great Lake when President Clinton signed Senate Bill 927, which reauthorized the National Sea Grant Program and included a line declaring Lake Champlain to be a Great Lake, allowing neighboring states to apply for additional federal research and education funds.

1998: Nova Group water withdrawal proposal

In 1998, the Canadian company Nova Group received approval to withdraw water from Lake Superior for shipment to Asian countries, but public outcry led to the abandonment of the plan.

2000: Quagga mussel smothering Lake Michigan in 2000

Since 2000, the invasive quagga mussel has smothered the bottom of Lake Michigan almost from shore to shore.

2002: Cargo movement on the Great Lakes

In 2002, 162 million net tons of dry bulk cargo were moved on the Great Lakes, including iron ore, grain, and potash.

2003: Severn Sound de-listed in 2003

Ontario's Severn Sound followed Collingwood Harbour, becoming formally de-listed in 2003 after successful cleanup.

2004: International ferry across Lake Ontario

In 2004, an international ferry service operated across Lake Ontario, running from Rochester, New York, to Toronto.

2004: Possible discovery of Le Griffon

In 2004, the wreck of Le Griffon, the first ship to sail the Great Lakes, which sank in a 1679 storm, may have been found.

December 13, 2005: Signing of Great Lakes Agreements

On December 13, 2005, the 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.

2005: International ferry across Lake Ontario

In 2005, an international ferry service operated across Lake Ontario, running from Rochester, New York, to Toronto, before ceasing operations.

2007: Car ferry services in the Great Lakes

As of 2007, four car ferry services were operating on the Great Lakes, including services on Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Huron.

2007: Discovery of the Cyprus wreckage

In 2007, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced the discovery of the wreckage of Cyprus, a century-old ore carrier that sank in Lake Superior in 1907.

2007: Economic impact of zebra mussel in 2007

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated in 2007 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, after it was approved by the state legislatures of all eight states that border the Great Lakes as well as the U.S. Congress.

2008: Discovery of the HMS Ontario wreckage

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

2009: International Joint Commission Summary in 2009

The International Joint Commission in 2009 summarized the change: "Since the early 1970s, the level of treatment to reduce pollution from waste water discharges to the Great Lakes has improved considerably. This is a result of significant expenditures to date on both infrastructure and technology, and robust regulatory systems that have proven to be, on the whole, quite effective."

2010: Discovery of the L.R. Doty wreckage

In 2010, L.R. Doty was found in Lake Michigan by an exploration diving team.

2011: Algae blooms on Lake Erie in 2011

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

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

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

2011: Increase of Anti-depressants in American Adults 2011-2014

In 2011-2014, the number of American adults who take anti-depressant drugs rose to 12.7%.

2011: Last commercial fisherman left Milwaukee in 2011

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 in 2012

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

2013: High ice coverage in 2013-2014

During the particularly cold winter of 2013-2014, ice coverage peaked at over 92% across the five Great Lakes.

2013: Record low lake levels in 2013

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

2014: High ice coverage in 2013-2014

During the particularly cold winter of 2013-2014, ice coverage peaked at over 92% across the five Great Lakes.

2014: Increase of Anti-depressants in American Adults 2011-2014

In 2011-2014, the number of American adults who take anti-depressant drugs rose to 12.7%.

2014: Alternative claim for discovery of Le Griffon

In 2014, a wreck discovered in a different location was also claimed to be Le Griffon, which sank in a 1679 storm.

2015: Largest Lake Erie bloom to date in 2015

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

August 2019: Lake Erie bloom in August 2019

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

2019: New species discovered between 2012 and 2019

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

2019: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2019

In 2019, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2019 was passed.

2020: Record high lake levels in 2020

In 2020, Lakes Superior, Erie, and Michigan-Huron experienced record high water levels after experiencing record low levels in 2013.

2020: Seabin implementation in 2020

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.

January 5, 2021: Reauthorization of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act

On January 5, 2021, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2019 was passed as Pub. L. 116–294, reauthorizing the program through Fiscal Year 2026.