Posting vignettes based on great postcards found in my mail box and elsewhere.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Petoskey's Underwater Crucifix



There is one crucified Christ that endures each Easter submerged in the icy waters of Lake Michigan. Only once a year is he saved from obscurity and curiously that is usually around Valentine's Day.


Few know or will tell you where the underwater crucifix is located but it lies not far off shore from the Northern Michigan city of Petoskey. It is west of the city's picturesque waterfront waterfall, several hundred yards off shore. Despite the development and beautification of Petoskey's waterfront in the past 20 years, the location of the underwater crucifix is not marked. If you can find a local willing to tell you where it is, you can either view it by rowing a boat over it on a calm day or don scuba gear in the summer and dive to it.

The best time for viewing is winter. Once a year, usually around Valentine's Day, volunteers clear a path across the ice to the location. A hole was cut in the ice and lights placed underwater to illuminate the crucifixion in the dark waters this past year. You can find out more about the underwater crucifix by reading this article in the Petoskey News-Review, the local daily newspaper.

The crucifix was first submerged in 1962 and moved to its current location in the early 1980's. It is dedicated to all who have perished in the water. It is believed to be the only submerged crucifix in fresh water.

3 comments:

  1. What an interesting way to share your postcard collection. Happy Easter.

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  2. You should also do a post about Reed City's Old Rugged Cross. There are a bunch of postcards around of that one.

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  3. I didn't quite get that the crucifix was horizontal until I clicked through to the video. An interesting find.

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