Join our Waitlist for Expert Advice!

Man Makes Shocking Discovery at the Bottom of the Mississippi River Amid Extreme Drought Record low water levels led to the discovery of a 1915 shipwreck.

By Sam Silverman Edited by Jessica Thomas

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Talk about buried treasure.

A Louisiana man made a shocking discovery at the bottom of the Mississippi River due to low water levels caused by drought.

Baton Rouge local Patrick Ford found a 1915 shipwreck on one of his daily walks by the riverfront, he told local news station WBRZ. His discovery comes as concerns about the severe drought are rising.

Low water levels in the Mississippi River, which flows from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, have caused supply chain issues, with cruise ships being forced to turn around mid-voyage and barges running aground, according to CNN.

Ford told the outlet he had noticed the water level dropping for several weeks, but nothing prepared him for the discovery of a lifetime.

"This past Sunday I was out here looking and realized the rest of the shore had washed away and there was an entire ship there," he told WBRZ. "I immediately texted friends and was like, 'Holy moly, I think I found a ship, a sunken ship!'"

Ford reached out to Chip McGimsey, Lousiana's state archaeologist and director of its division of archaeology, who said the state was already aware of the hidden treasure.

The ship is believed to be the Brookhill, which was built in Indiana in 1896 and used for trading along with its sister ship the Istrouma, McGimsey told the outlet. The ships both sank after a major storm in 1915, and the Brookhill wasn't seen again until it was exposed and discovered in 1992.

"At that time, it was not nearly as exposed as it is now," McGimsey recalled of the Brookhill's initial discovery. Ninety percent of the ship's remaining hull is now exposed as a result of the shrinking water levels.

According to McGimsey, the Brookhill is an extremely rare style of boat, and archaeologists will now be able to study the vessel more carefully than they have before.

Sam Silverman

Content Strategy Editor

Sam Silverman is a content strategy editor at Entrepreneur Media. She specializes in search engine optimization (SEO), and her work can be found in The US Sun, Nicki Swift, In Touch Weekly, Life & Style and Health. She writes for our news team with a focus on investigating scandals. Her coverage and expertise span from business news, entrepreneurship, technology, and true crime, to the latest in entertainment and TV news. Sam is a graduate of Lehigh University and currently resides in NYC. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Leadership

How to Create a Workplace Culture That Supports Digital Transformation (and Why It's Important)

Technology and culture change go hand in hand — pay attention to both!

Business News

You Have One Month Left to Buy a House, According to Barbara Corcoran. Here's Why.

"If you are planning on waiting a year and seeing where interest rates go, you are out of your mind," Corcoran said.

Business News

A Wells Fargo Worker Was Discovered 4 Days After Dying at Her Desk. Her Cause of Death Was Just Revealed.

Medical examiners have released the cause of death of Denise Prudhomme, who was found dead at her desk in Wells Fargo's Tempe, Ariz. office.

Business News

Meta Fires Employee Making $400,000 Per Year Over a $25 Meal Voucher Issue

Other staff members were fired for the same reason, per a new report.

Business News

A Carpenter of 56 Years Is Retiring After He Found $20 on Ground and Turned It Into a $1 Million Lottery Win

The winner, Jerry Hicks, told the North Carolina lottery that the gas station was out of the tickets he usually buys.

Leadership

5 Ways to Get Real Freedom as a Business Owner (Without Surrendering Control)

Use these five strategies to attain true freedom and shift your focus from daily operations to long-term business growth and personal time.