This one-hour documentary tells the story of America's last great steamship, the Atlantic. Ferrying immigrants across the Great Lakes from Buffalo to Detroit and Chicago during the 1830s to 1850s, the Steamship Atlantic played an important part in western expansion, serving as a vital link to the western United States before the railroad was built. On August 30,1852, however, the Steamship Atlantic collided with another ship and sunk to the depths of Lake Erie. An estimated 200 lives were lost in this tragedy, along with money and gold speculated to be worth millions. There has already been a legal battle over ownership of the sunken vessel, and a campaign to preserve the ship and its contents is ongoing. SAGA OF THE STEAMSHIP ATLANTIC traces the Atlantic's role in history, as well as the current controversy over the fate of this important American artifact.