Documentary about Lake St. Clair, 2 early settlements premieres Thursday

(Detroit Free Press) A documentary about Lake St. Clair and the search for the remains of two early settlements believed to have been consumed by its rising waters around 1855 will premiere Thursday in Macomb County.

County officials said researchers, historians and archeologists have been working for decades to find artifacts and supporting documentation of the sites — the village of Belvidere and the Church of St. Felicity. Water levels and other factors have made this challenging: Efforts the filmmaker, Robert Kreipke, showcases in the documentary called "Hidden History of Lake St. Clair."

The European settlements were lost to flooding and abandoned in nearshore lake waters in Macomb County.

"We've been working on this project for several years and the film for an entire year now, and I am so pleased with the results," Gerry Santoro, the county's program director for parks and natural resources, said in a release. ................(more)

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/macomb/2024/02/14/lake-st-clair-documentary-about-early-settlements/72585473007/