The Lake Serpent: Lake Erie’s Mysterious 1829 Shipwreck

In September 1829, the schooner Lake Serpent left the islands of western Lake Erie carrying a heavy cargo bound for Cleveland. Somewhere on the return voyage, the ship vanished. Weeks passed with no word from the crew, until disturbing evidence began appearing along the Ohio shoreline.Nearly two centuries later, a tiny shape appeared on a sonar screen near the Lake Erie islands, launching an underwater investigation into one of the lake’s oldest maritime mysteries.In this episode of Lake Effect, we trace the final voyage of the Lake Serpent, the men who disappeared with her, the clues preserved in 1829 newspaper reports, and the modern search for a ship lost beneath Lake Erie for generations.Plus, hear about Now That's Just Odd, our new podcast featuring bizarre true stories that sound almost too strange to believe, including its first episode about the shipwreck of the SS Badger State.