Griffin Legend, Lake Solitude at Tawas Point
Tawas Point, East Tawas and Tawas City are destinations on the Sunrise Side that are well known for Perchville, lighthouses, parks and more. Lake Huron is there, so is the well-known Tawas Lake. However, one of the most historic and mysterious is Lake Solitude. Lake Solitude is less visited than the others but it may be the location of the long lost Griffin. In the 17th century, the French explorer LaSalle was on the Griffin, the first boat to sail the great lakes. That journey ended on the homeward leg somewhere on Lake Huron in 1689. The ship was never found.
The earliest settlers in the Tawas region
discovered the remnants of a ship rotting away in the sand
at Lake Solitude a half mile inland from Lake Huron.
While the ship skeleton was certainly a mystery, the battle
for survival in those days meant there was little time for
investigation but, the story of the wreck lived on in tales
told around night fires through the long winters.
Some say that it can't be the Griffin, too far inland but, there is evidence that Lake Solitude was actually part of Lake Huron back in those days. Accurate maps just don't exist from that time. Could the Griffin have been seeking shelter from one of the legendary Lake Huron storms? Did the storm drive them aground and wreck them in the remote wilderness? The debate goes on. A visit to Iosco Museum might be worth the effort.