Talk:Porte des Morts

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This page needs some major editing and, perhaps, combining with the entry entitled "Death's Door". The source of the name in Holand's book (there cited) seems the most reliable available.

The Griffin did not founder in Death's Door. While it was last seen leaving Washington Island, it was going north to the Straits of Mackinac. One theory contends it foundered in Big or Little Bay de Noc; another says it was in northern Lake Huron. It's final location has never been determined in a way that can be verified. It was not "one of the largest ships" on the Great Lakes at the time, it was the only ship on the upper lakes, and another ship would not again be built for a very long time on the upper lakes.

The canal at Sturgeon Bay was not needed to avoid Death's Door. A much safer passage between Lake Michigan and Green Bay is found just north of Washington Island. The canal was primarily to avoid the distance around the peninsula, an important factor when ships traveled less than ten miles per hour.

The Louisiana did not ground in Death's Door, but on the beach of Washington Harbor on the north side of Washington Island. I don't know about the others named.

Technically, the strait is not between the Door peninsula and Washington Island, but between the peninsula and Plum Island. The Detroit Island Passage lies to the north of Plum Island and a body of water too shallow for navigation separates Detroit Island from Washington Island. Sometimes the Detroit Island Passage is lumped together with Porte des Morts Passage and may contribute to the notoriety of Porte des Morts, since the Detroit Island Passage has many more hazards to navigation. RDavS 02:58, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

I noticed the two articles, and wondered what was the difference. Please edit as needed to fix the inaccuracies. Many of your comments in the above discussion should be added to articles to make everything clearer. Royalbroil 12:58, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

The two articles have been combined. RDavS 18:53, 6 September 2007 (UTC)