ICSD New Shipwreck Challenge...

[DetectorGuy]

Wreck #4: 14' Wood boat  with pointy bow sitting in 18' deep water. Found by Shooter while diving with me on Spectacle Lake on 4-17-2010.  link to one of the video's:
   Viz was 15' on this springtime dive.
coordinates are: N45 34.247' W93 24.961' Coordinates adjusted on 5-31-2014

[DetectorGuy]

That should bring us up to date for the ICSD Team. MMMMM... I can almost taste that bottle of O'Doules now...

Stop back once in a while by typing in "ICSD" in the search area to find this site to see further updates and new dive sites.

[doug67]

Hey John, any chance you guys have numbers on the location of the paddle wheel from the paddle boat that used to operate on Blue lake?

[Shooter]

it is an orange fiberglass boat. It was actually found by Art who was first on our dive rotation. If you remember John that is the day when we met you. Art was diving I was set up as a safety diver and tending at the same time, and "showing you the ropes" on how to tend. Art came back to the hole and told us of his discovery. Three minutes later I was at the wreck with him leaving you to tend both of us! :o . You handled it very well! I could tell at that time you had the right diving attitude! "You gotta want it"

man is that some crappy video ;D. first ice dive of the season in the dry suit. By looking at the video you think I drank two pots of coffee and a case a rock star  :

I will be swimming some more grid patterns on spectacle Lake at about four.

[DetectorGuy]

Doug, I don't have any info on a paddlewheel on Blue Lake, but last year I did get a tiny bit of info on a casino/bar  barge in another lake. As of right now it is still in the rumor stage and not a lot of research has been done.

[DetectorGuy]

I checked my sources and the barge was some kind of floating dance hall/bar used during the 1930's and sank somewhere on Upper Big Birch Lake in Stearns or Todd County... I guess The county line splits this lake. I am not sure of the depth or viz but it sure sounds like an expedition for future exploring. The same guy told me that there also was a guy that was hauling weeds out into the lake in a 14' aluminum boat pulled behind another boat when it got too low in the water line and sank. The guy cut the rope to keep his boat from being pulled under. This 14' aluminum boat is supposed to be in Lower Big Birch Lake. Sounds like a long way to drive for an easter-egg-hunt but I will hit it someday.

[JBPearson]

That barge sounds intriguing.  With a little more info we could launch a group exploration.  There's even a nice looking spot for base camp...

[Terry]

                    Ya John, count me in on looking for the dance barge, maybe find her and do one last dance,,,,,      TRINITY

[DetectorGuy]

Here is a quote from an article on the history of Melrose which doesn't speak directly of the dance barge but of the colorful history of the area: "Model A's equipped with deep containers under their back seats rumbled down country roads at night. Rumors abounded of a fleet of them sunk forever in Big Birch Lake."

Here is a link to the article (read the second paragraph under "whiskey Street" primarily:

[DetectorGuy]

Here is another quote from an area newspaper with a link to the article: "Its reputation drew the attention of one particular group of people who benefited from moonshine production - organized crime. Information in the book points out that while organized crime never controlled the production of moonshine in Stearns County, it was a purchaser of the product. That led to stories of various gangsters coming into Stearns County.

Her research calls some of them into question, but she noted, "There are several quotes of Al Capone being at Big Birch Lake.""