Underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago

General

Treasury – A treasurer's report was given. Contact Bob Gadbois if interested.
ICSSD – Claire Gadbois gave the ICSSD report:
- The underwater comptetion was held, and included a puzzle to assemble piping pieces underwater. A Grand Prize for a trip to Casa del Mar was won by the Gadbois.
- The President's Night Dinner will be held October 20th at Charlie's Char House in Elk Grove Village.
- The Jim Haigh Memorial Dive will be July 15th at Haigh Quarry.
- ICSSD is distributing dive safety brochures.
- ICSSD has a speakers list available for those who are interested, or who would like to be added to the list.
Membership – Roger Brown distributed a new UASC roster. Contact Roger or Jim Jarecki to get a copy.
Newsletter – UASC is looking for a newsletter chair.

Several UASC members attended the Ghost Ships Festival in Milwaukee, and got a lot out of the weekend. In addition to enjoying the general presentations and exhibit hall, several attended valuable workshops and/or were fortunate at the raffle drawings. The Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association's workshop was particularly appreciated.
Jim Jarecki reported on several presentations which he had made recently in Indiana.

On April 10th Cris Kohl will lead a discussion of Shadow Divers at the Museum of Science and Industry's Book Club. There may be another event in the fall including John Chatterton, Richie Kohler, and/or Bob Kurzon.
May 5, Mysteries and Histories Beneath the Inland Seas, Holland, MI.
May 8, Keith Meverden will make a presentation on the Rouse Simmons at the National Archives.
April 14, UASC CPR class. Sam Frank teaching. Arranged by Chet Childs. $25 to be held at UIC. 2 hour renewal plus 1 hour new material.
Michael Angelo Gagliardi has a new show April 24th to May 31st at The Gallery at Holy Covenant Methodis Church. See http://www.michael-angelo-art.com/upcoming_shows/ for more information.
No word at this time on the proposed survey course.
UASC survey reports are available for purchase from http://www.valerievanheest.com/writerresearcher.htm

Rainbow - A schooner sunk just outside of Monroe Harbor in about 20 feet of water. Went down in the spring gale of 1894 that claimed 7 wrecks all together. This wreck is inaccessible during the busy summer season due to the excessive boat traffic. Contact: Jim Jarecki.
David Wells - Liz Jurkacek plans to do a final inventory this summer, and also hopes to get a permit soon to excavate around the edges of the wreck.
Wells Burt - Jim Jarecki reported that a descendant of the captain wants to join us on this project. An inventory is currently being made of removed tagged items.
Barge #2 - John & Ruth Loftus are continuing the lead on this project, which will be the feature of the April meeting next month.
G.J. Dorr - John & Ruth are continuing to search for this wreck, and would appreciate any reliable GPS or Loran coordinates that are available.
Kieth Pearson is working on the Saint Mary and th Rotarian.
Tony Kiefer is working on the Sub Chaser off the Illinois Beach State Park in Zion.
The work on the Material Service Barge is nearly complete, and should be wrapped up to produce a slate and/or report.
Val's Wreck.
150 foot Mystery Wreck.
Pete Chval reported that there is a new charter boat operating out of Chicago.

Bob Gadbois presented a very interesting presentation on the making of "She Died a Hard Death: The Sinking of the Hennepin". Bob went through in great detail all of the steps required to create a single 30-second piece of the film, including all the tools he uses, difficulties encountered, and techniques employed. The presentation was very interesting and informative.

Several members retired to Riccobene's after the meeting for further discussion.

Wednesday, April 22, 2026