Entries from the wheelhouse. The story behind Project GL.

I'm a historian, educator, and storyteller. I instruct Great Lakes Maritime History at Northern Michigan University, and I founded Project Great Lakes, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to carry that same work beyond the classroom and into communities across the Great Lakes region.

What began as an educational program for K–12 students has grown into a community initiative for anyone who wants to explore the Great Lakes. Using 3D technology, photographs, and place-based learning, Project GL creates immersive experiences that invite people of all ages into the stories, history, and heritage of the Great Lakes.

There is more to the Lakes than any one shipwreck story. Project GL explores the history, people, ships, communities, and working waters that make the Great Lakes what they are today. As Project GL continues to traverse the Lakes, the mission stays simple: connect people to the stories, history, and heritage of the Great Lakes.

My father is at the heart of why I started studying the Great Lakes. He served in the United States Coast Guard as a lighthouse keeper on Lake Michigan. I grew up listening to his stories about tending the light and rescue missions on the Lakes, including those aboard a 44-foot motor lifeboat designed to roll over and self-right within seconds.

His stories gave me an early connection to the Great Lakes and sparked a shared passion for their history. By the time I was 11, I was already writing research papers on maritime history, including the Edmund Fitzgerald. Years later, the Great Lakes became the focus of my academic research and teaching.

What started with my father’s stories became a lifelong pursuit of Great Lakes history. Today, through Project GL, I get to share that history in a way that brings the Lakes, their stories, and their heritage to the next generation.

Historical research often begins with books and archives, but there is value in going beyond traditional research and experiencing the Great Lakes firsthand.

As a historian and educator, I wanted to experience the working Lakes for myself. I approached The Interlake Steamship Company for the opportunity to conduct field research aboard one of their lake freighters. I spent time aboard the M/V Kaye E. Barker, a 767-foot lake freighter built in 1952, observing daily operations, talking with the crew, and seeing firsthand the work that keeps commerce moving across the Lakes.

That experience added another layer to my research, and it comes with me into every Project GL session.

I earned my PADI certifications because I wanted to experience the shipwrecks I spend so much time researching and teaching about. There is something entirely different about descending into the cold freshwater and seeing a shipwreck emerge below you. It gives you a perspective on these vessels and their stories that you simply cannot get from shore.

It also reinforced why I believe so strongly in making these places accessible to others. Most people will never have the opportunity to dive a Great Lakes shipwreck, but that should not keep them from experiencing one. Through the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society's (GLSPS) photogrammetry work, these wrecks can be explored in 3D, allowing people to immerse themselves in the history that still rests beneath the surface.

Project Great Lakes began as a K–12 initiative serving schools throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and that work remains at the heart of the program.

As the organization has grown, so has the audience. Today, Project GL also partners with libraries, museums, and sailing clubs throughout the Great Lakes region.

The mission hasn't changed. More people have simply come aboard.

A three-year grant is funding Project Great Lakes outreach to K–12 schools across Michigan. Project GL, as a nonprofit, opens new ports of call, allowing the initiative to expand into libraries, museums, sailing clubs, and communities throughout the Great Lakes region.

Recognizing that grants are temporary, I created the nonprofit to ensure this work continues long after the current funding cycle ends.

The grant moves the mission forward today. The nonprofit ensures it continues tomorrow.

Shipwrecks often capture people's attention, but they are only one chapter in the story of the Great Lakes.

Every session begins with the Great Lakes as they exist today. We follow Lakers and Salties as they navigate the waterways, carrying many of the same goods that moved across the Lakes in the 1800s. We explore the industries that depend on the Lakes, discuss the vital role of the U.S. Coast Guard, and learn about the people who continue to make their living on the water. From there, we trace those stories back through history, exploring the commerce, navigation, shipwrecks, lighthouses, and maritime communities that shaped the Lakes we know today.

That connection matters. By discovering the lakes and learning their stories, Project GL inspires the next generation of Great Lakes stewards.

Discover. Learn. Protect.