Customer Reviews

Ice Water Museum: Forgotten Great Lakes Shipwrecks

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Being from the Great State of Michigan, anything dealing with the lakes has held interest for me for years. Many trips to the North would not have been complete without a stop at the Soo locks to watch the huge boats traverse through the locks. Unfortunately, shipwrecks are an integral part of life on the lakes. Wes Oleszewski has written a very interesting book, with photos when available, best guess sketches when appropriate, which added to the book greatly. While I do agree that he at times takes "poetic license" with the narrative, I found that it only added to the book, that it did not detract from it. One could almost put yourself in the pilot house, galley or engine room, and feel a part of the crew. I will definitely read more books on this subject written by this author.

Wes Oleszewski's "Ice Water Museum" is the latest in his series of books about obscure shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. This volume is no different from the others in Oleszewski's series: it combines reconstructed dialogue and extensive research with speculation on what really happened to these ships. Oleszewski's prose tries too hard to be colorful and I am uncomfortable with his creation of dialogue, but I give him credit for the obviously exhaustive research he has put into these stories. I admire the fact he sidesteps the famous shipwrecks and focuses on the lesser known disasters which are no less important or interesting. He clearly loves the history of the Great Lakes and his passion shines through the often-stilted prose.