Recent Storm Reveals Over 100-Year-Old Shipwreck In Great Salt Lake

A recent storm in the Great Salt Lake in Utah exposed a shipwreck that could possibly be more than 100 years old.

On Monday (May25), the Great Salt Lake State Park & Marina posted a photo on Facebook of what appears to be the remains of a steel boat that possibly dates back to the turn of the 20th century. Apparently, the area experienced a storm with 50-mile-per-hour wind speeds last weekend, exposing the wreck.

"Great Salt Lake Storms can be ominous but also fascinating. There has been boating on the Great Salt Lake since the mid-1880's," the post caption said. "Some of these boats experienced tragic endings only to be buried in the sand by storms. But storms can also uncover them as the most recent one did by the Great Salt Lake Marina."

According to FOX 13, Great Salt Lake Park manager Dave Shearer had already noticed something in the area about six years ago but could not see exactly what it was. It was only when the storm winds hit, alongwith low water levels, that the shipwreck was revealed.

As mentioned in the post, boating has been present in the area for over a hundred years, first by the Native Americans then by the pioneers.

"Brigham Young attempted to establish a cattle ferry boat business between the mainland and the south shores of Antelope Island that never really materialized," Great Salt Lake's lake keeper, Jeff Salt, said, according to FOX 13.

According to Shearer, it's possible the boat was a part of a larger fleet, noting that they often brought things to and from the railroad causeway and the mining camps. That said, there is still not a lot of evidence on the corroded boat to pinpoint its history.

Today, the Great Salt Lake and its islands provide many recreational activities from hiking, mountain biking, sailing and swimming. In fact, according to the Utah website, the Great Salt Lake is one of the most asked-about destinations in the state.

It is the largest lake between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean and the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere.