The Great Lakes — Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario — form the largest freshwater surface system on Earth, covering 94,250 square miles and holding approximately 21% of the world's surface fresh water. Their location at the center of the North American continent made them the defining transportation corridor of the industrial age. The steel that built America's cities moved through these lakes.
| Lake | Surface Area | Max Depth | Volume | Shoreline | States/Provinces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior | 31,700 sq mi | 1,333 ft | 2,903 cu mi | 2,726 mi | MN, WI, MI, ON |
| Michigan | 22,300 sq mi | 923 ft | 1,180 cu mi | 1,638 mi | MI, WI, IL, IN |
| Huron | 23,000 sq mi | 750 ft | 850 cu mi | 3,827 mi (incl. Georgian Bay) | MI, ON |
| Erie | 9,910 sq mi | 210 ft | 116 cu mi | 871 mi | MI, OH, PA, NY, ON |
| Ontario | 7,340 sq mi | 802 ft | 393 cu mi | 712 mi | NY, ON |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1679 | Griffin built by René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle — first sailing vessel on the Upper Great Lakes. Vanished on first voyage. |
| 1796 | Jay Treaty opens Great Lakes to American shipping. U.S. and British vessels share navigation rights. |
| 1825 | Erie Canal opens, connecting Lake Erie to the Hudson River and New York. Great Lakes become accessible to East Coast markets. |
| 1835 | First Soo Canal proposed at Sault Ste. Marie to bypass St. Mary's River rapids. Not built until 1855. |
| 1855 | First Soo Locks (State Lock) opens at Sault Ste. Marie. Lake Superior shipping connected to lower lakes for the first time. |
| 1860s–1880s | Iron ore from Marquette Range and Keweenaw copper shipped south. Bulk freighter design evolves rapidly to handle ore and grain. |
| 1871 | Chicago Fire destroys 17,500 buildings. Great Lakes lumber from Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota rebuilds the city. |
| 1895 | Poe Lock at Sault Ste. Marie opens, the first lock large enough for modern bulk freighters. |
| 1905 | Great November Storm (Mataafa Storm) wrecks 30 vessels and kills 35 sailors. Worst single storm in Great Lakes history until 1913. |
| 1913 | Great Storm of 1913 (the White Hurricane) sinks 12 ships and kills 248 sailors. Largest single-storm loss in Great Lakes history. Most victims in Lake Huron. |
| 1915 | Eastland disaster in Chicago River — excursion steamer capsizes at dock, killing 848. Deadliest single Great Lakes maritime disaster. |
| 1930s | Sea Lamprey invades upper Great Lakes through Welland Canal, devastating native lake trout populations by the 1950s. |
| 1959 | St. Lawrence Seaway opens, allowing ocean-going vessels to navigate from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes for the first time. |
| 1975 | Edmund Fitzgerald sinks in Lake Superior storm on November 10 with all 29 crew. Largest ship ever sunk on the Great Lakes. |
| 1996 | New Poe Lock at Sault Ste. Marie opens — 1,200 feet long, currently the only lock capable of passing thousand-foot lakers. |
| 2020s | New Soo Lock (second Poe-class lock) under construction. Expected completion ~2030. Critical infrastructure for American steel industry. |
The Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan operate the busiest waterway in the world by tonnage during navigation season (April–January). They raise and lower vessels 21 feet between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. Approximately 4,500 vessel transits carry 80+ million tons of cargo annually. The locks are operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The single Poe Lock currently handles all vessels over 730 feet — if it were to fail, an estimated 70% of U.S. steel production would halt within weeks. A second Poe-class lock is under construction.
Before European settlement, the Great Lakes supported the largest freshwater fishery in the world. Commercial fishing peaked in the 1880s–1890s with massive harvests of lake whitefish, cisco, lake trout, walleye, and yellow perch. Overfishing, habitat degradation, and invasive species (sea lamprey, alewife) collapsed native fish stocks by the mid-20th century. Sea lamprey control programs beginning in 1958 and intensive stocking of Pacific salmon in 1966 transformed the fishery into a primarily recreational one. Today the Great Lakes support a $7 billion annual recreational fishing economy.
Common questions about this topic answered from the data.
All 65 fish species — native, stocked, invasive, naturalized.
180+ shipwrecks across the Upper Great Lakes with depth, location, and dive access.
250+ lighthouses on Lakes Superior, Huron, and Michigan.
Migration corridors, species lists, and top hotspot guide.
Fish, wildlife, water quality, and habitat data for Saginaw Bay, Michigan.
Complete stop-by-stop guide and trip planner for the 1,300-mile route.
Looking to watch these ships in real time? → Great Lakes Freighter Tracking & Vessel Watching Guide