Chicago fire dump site dive

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swampmonster

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Chicago
I was trying to find out about a dive that my dad (who is a divemaster) said his buddy went on. He claims he rented a charter in Lake Michigan & the site was actually a waste dump site from the Chicago fire. He said that this guy told him that sine the fire was near or shortly after the civil war era, that he went into the site and broke away a dagger that he supposedly still has. I asked my dad to ask the guy where the site location was but he claims the guy said that he had to sign a 'secrecy form' with the charter about the sites location. No other diver that I met has seem to have ever of heard of this & it sounds like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to me (kinda like the Poverty Island gold) story but it'd be nice if it was real. Anyone hear of this?
 
I highly doubt that is true.

After the Chicago Fire, most of the burned out portion of the city was knocked over and the current Michigan Avenue is actually 12-15 feet above the original michigan avenue. Most of the downtown area in chicago is built right over the rubble from the Chicago fire.

I have personnaly seen the old michigan avenue, I worked on the Gap store project at Michigan and Ohio in 1998. We excavated for the basement and foundation and there was clearly a distinct street about 12' below grade. We pulled out some old beer, wine, milk bottles, but no daggers or anything like that.

I have not heard of a dump site in the Lake. The logistics of getting that much rubble out in to the lake would be crazy.

The fire occured in October 1871. The Civil War ended in 1865.
 
swampmonster once bubbled...
I was trying to find out about a dive that my dad (who is a divemaster) said his buddy went on. He claims he rented a charter in Lake Michigan & the site was actually a waste dump site from the Chicago fire. He said that this guy told him that sine the fire was near or shortly after the civil war era, that he went into the site and broke away a dagger that he supposedly still has. I asked my dad to ask the guy where the site location was but he claims the guy said that he had to sign a 'secrecy form' with the charter about the sites location. No other diver that I met has seem to have ever of heard of this & it sounds like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to me (kinda like the Poverty Island gold) story but it'd be nice if it was real. Anyone hear of this?

I've heard this 'legend' as well. Very vague story from a buddy back where I used to live who met a diver from Chicago that related the story, and that this guy (the one from Chicago) dove something like this regularly, known as the Chicago Catacombs, reminents from the Chicago Fire.

I don't know, but worth the seek.
 
It's probably in the Chicago river, there where they just finished Wacker maybe?
 
It's not a legond. Contact any Chicago charter and they'll take you there. It's a regular and (sort of) popular site. During the clean up after the fire lots of the garbage was taken out into the lake on barges and dumped. Divers have pulled up all kinds of artifacts and it's legal to do so because it's just garbage. One of the Great Lakes wreck books I have has pictures of some of the stuff that's been brought up.

The site is like 40 - 60 ft in depth and you won't see much once you start digging.

The site also has a name but I can't remember what it is. Any charter that works that area can take you there.

Hank at Chicago charters goes out there fairly regularly.
 
Here is a link to a charter that lists the site on their web page

Chicago Charter

From the site...

"CAISSONS: Though not a wreck a very popular site scattered with bottles and relics dating back to the Great Chicago Fire and prior. "
 
Here's a link to a charter that we've used a bunch of times. The don't list the Caissons on their site but I know they go there.

Chicago Dive Charters
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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