The Niagara
is owned by the State of Wisconsin and is managed by the
Wisconsin Historical Society with assistance from Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources. Like all historic shipwrecks
in Wisconsin waters, the Niagara is protected under Wisconsin
law as a state-owned archaeological site. Divers should
leave artifacts in place, document them, and report them
to the Wisconsin State Archeologist, phone (608) 264-6495.
Report shipwreck looting to the DNR at 800-TIP-WDNR.
Through
the research conducted by the Wisconsin Historical
Society, the Niagara was placed on the National Register
of Historic Places in 1996.
Dive
guides to the Niagara and six other
shipwrecks in Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan are now
available. These are similar to the set produced for Wisconsin’s
Lake Superior shipwrecks and were produced by the Wisconsin
Historical Society and the UW Sea Grant Institute. Additional
information about diving at the Niagara site is available
in local dive shops.
You can learn more about the Niagara's
history and archeological findings in "The History
and Archaeology of the Great Lakes Steamboat Niagara"
by John Jensen in the 1999 Spring issue of the Wisconsin
Magazine of History.
Please help us preserve this invaluable
piece of our maritime heritage. If you visit the Niagara,
please take only pictures and leave only bubbles.
Learn more about Protecting
Our Heritage in the Diver's Area.
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