Shipping along the Great Lakes has long been a major source of commerce for both the United States and Canada. In 1979, Canada paid tribute to the 300th anniversary first voyage of a commercial ship on the Great Lakes by depicting the ship, ...

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Shipping along the Great Lakes has long been a major source of commerce for both the United States and Canada. In 1979, Canada paid tribute to the 300th anniversary first voyage of a commercial ship on the Great Lakes by depicting the ship, the _Griffon_, on the reverse of the 1979 Canadian Silver Dollar. The _Griffon_ was built in 1679 by Frenchman Robert de La Salle to transport furs across the Great Lakes. The _Griffon_ mysteriously sank in a storm on its maiden voyage, however, and sailing did not appear again on the Great Lakes until the French and Indian War of 1754-1760.