The Legend of the Lost Emerald: Searching for Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes

Play the Game

Dive in!

Step into the shoes of Jules, a maritime archaeologist to recover the stories behind shipwrecks inspired by real Great Lakes history!

Scene from Lost Emerald game showing a shipwreck at the bottom of a lake Play Now!

How to Play

Scene from Lost Emerald game showing desk with map on wall used to plan search for shipwrecks

1Pick Up the Phone

Incoming calls and texts contain important information to solve the shipwreck’s mysteries.

Scene from Lost Emerald game in which boat uses sonar to detect location of a shipwreck

2Locate & Dive

It takes time to find your location and investigate what lies below the surface with your boat’s sonar system… and your dive gear!

Scene from Lost Emerald game showing notebook used to log evidence used to find shipwrecks

3Gather Clues

Take photographs, talk to experts, read documents & examine artifacts from the past.

Scene from Lost Emerald game in which photos and other evidence are laid out on a board with connections

4Build Evidence

Connect the primary source clues on your evidence board to identify the ship and story.

Illustration of family of characters from Lost Emerald game, including a middle aged father and mother with their two daughters who are young adults

5Share Your Discoveries

Tell your family and expert friends what you’ve found out and why it matters.

Need to take a break while playing?

When you return, click the “Load Level” button on the home screen and select the beginning or mid-point of any level to dive back in where you stopped and continue the adventure.

Production Credits

Producer

  • Jim Mathews

Assistant Producer

  • Jessie Nixon

Creative Director

  • Sarah Gagnon

Art Director

  • Eric Lang

Game Design

  • Phil Dougherty
  • David Gagnon
  • Eric Lang
  • Terra Lauterbach
  • Jim Mathews

User Interface Designer

  • Eric Lang

Game Engineers

  • Terra Lauterbach (Lead)
  • Autumn Beauchesne
  • Ishita Dhoot
  • Levi Huillet
  • Muhamad Firdaus Husaini
  • Mike Tolly

Illustration

  • Reyna Groff
  • Emily Meredith Lewis

Concept Art

  • Rodney Lambright II
  • Emily Meredith Lewis

3D Art

  • Mary Benetti
  • Forest San Filippo

Animation

  • Eric Lang
  • Forest San Filippo

Writing

  • Lindy Biller
  • Sarah Gagnon

Content Research

  • Lindy BIller
  • Jim Mathews
  • Emily Meredith Lewis

Music

  • Luke Bassuener
  • Cyril Peck

Sound Design

  • Beauxregard Neylon
  • Eric Lang

Maritime Archaeology Advisors

  • Victoria Kiefer
  • Anne Moser
  • Tamara Thomsen
  • Caitlin Zant

Educator Support Materials

  • Mia Forslund

Web Design

  • Charles Barrows

Web Development

  • John Vieth
  • Tim Schneider
  • Eric Lang

Game Analytics

  • Jenifer Scianna
  • Luke Swanson
  • Nick Spevacek

Translation Services

  • Erik Zetina

Executive Producers

  • David Gagnon
  • Alyssa Tsagong

Director of Education

  • Alyssa Tsagong

Director of Television

  • Jon Miskowski

Director of Wisconsin Center for Education Research

  • Courtney Bell

Field Day Educator Fellows

Joy Aragones

The Prairie School, Racine, WI

Angela Bies

Waller Elementary School, Burlington, WI

Michelle Carlile

School District of Bayfield, Bayfield, WI

Jodi Forseth

Augusta Elementary School, Augusta, WI

Larry Gundlach

New Century School, Verona, WI

VaLisa Harmon

Gilmore Fine Arts K-8 School, Racine, WI

Susan Jurries

Arbor Vitae-Woodruff Elementary School, Woodruff, WI

Juliana Kelly

Morgandale School, Milwaukee, WI

Kelly Koller

Howard-Suamico School District, Howard, WI

Elizabeth Rivera

Hayes Bilingual School, Milwaukee, WI

​​Daniel Scherbert

Rogers Street Academy, Milwaukee, WI

Mike Scoville

Gibraltar Elementary School, Fish Creek, WI

Katherine Seibel

Auburndale Elementary School, Auburndale, WI

Perry Smith

Arbor Vitae-Woodruff Elementary School, Arbor Vitae, WI

Wanda Welch

Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee, WI

Student Playtesting Classrooms

Arbor Vitae-Woodruff Elementary School

Arbor Vitae, WI

Auburndale Elementary School

Auburndale, WI

Augusta Elementary School

Augusta, WI

Clark Street Community School

Middleton, WI

Crestwood Elementary School

Madison, WI

Emerson Elementary School

Madison, WI

Gibraltar Elementary School

Fish Creek, WI

Gilmore Fine Arts K-8 School

Racine, WI

Hayes Bilingual School

Milwaukee, WI

KM Explore Elementary School

Wales, WI

Lindbergh Elementary School

Madison, WI

Morgandale School

Milwaukee, WI

New Century School

Verona, WI

The Prairie School

Racine, WI

Rogers Street Academy

Milwaukee, WI

Waller Elementary School

Burlington, WI

Additional Thanks to

Sheila Briggs

Abigail Diaz

Wisconsin Maritime Museum

Jacques “Bear” Gagnon

Kurt Griesemer

Wisconsin Historical Society

David Hart

Wisconsin Sea Grant

Tom Kastle

Kurt Kiefer

Mary Mathison

KM Explore Elementary School

David McHugh

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Hannah Patten

Wisconsin Maritime Museum

Barb Shaver

KM Explore Elementary School

Michelle Villarreal

Emerson Elementary School

Wisconsin Historical Society

Funding Provided By

Floating Eyeballs Family Fund

David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund

within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region

Dwight and Linda Davis Foundation

Dr. Henry Anderson and Shirley Levine

Elizabeth Olson

Robert J. Lenz

Wooden Nickel Fund

A. Paul Jones Charitable Trust

City of Sheboygan

Elizabeth Parker

in memory of George S. Parker II

Sharon and Tim Thousand

Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation

Ron and Colleen Weyers

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Wisconsin Coastal Management Program

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Wisconsin Sea Grant

John J. Frautschi Family Foundation

Trust Point

Ellsworth and Carla Peterson Charitable Foundation

Timothy William Trout Education Fund

Focus Fund for Education

Friends of PBS Wisconsin