In the Spring of 1976 we were captivated by Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The FM station that we listened to in the morning played it just about the same time every day and we would pause to listen to him sing the story of the fate of a shipping vessel and crew on the Great Lakes. We didn’t know that it was a real life tragedy that had happened only a few months before. We learned more about it when we visited the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point three years ago. A return to that museum was one of the reasons we wanted to come back to this part of the U.P. The museum has grown and had many more visitors today than we remember from last time. Besides learning more about the Edmund Fitzgerald and other shipwreck tragedies along the Lake Superior shore, we learned more about lighthouses, light keepers duties and home life, Fresnel lenses, the lifesaving service, surf boats, and more. And we took the opportunity to walk along the Superior shore and along the shore of Whitefish Bay.
The Fresnel Lens is an amazing invention still in use today. We purchased a video on the history of lights for navigation as well as the technical aspects of the Fresnel Lens design.
Looking at the job description, the Lighthouse Keeper had to be an engineer, a carpenter, and an accountant on duty 24/7/365. Wow!
The Lighthouse Keepers family had tidy lodgings and most modern conveniences with provisions and supplies delivered by boat on a regular schedule but with no friends and neighbors nearby.
And they lived in a beautiful place but very exposed to the elements! Just imagine listening to a winter storm rage around you and out on the water as you and your family took responsibility for the safety of those in ships out on this huge turbulent lake!
I graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1970. One of my classmates, and friend, Tom Benson, decided on attending the Merchant Marine school. He sailed the Great Lakes for several years. After some time off spent with an ailing mother, Tom ended up taking an oiler position, on the Edmund Fitzgerald. It was his first, and only, trip on the Fitz. Whenever I get up to the UP and the Shipwreck Museum, I think of Tom and drink a toast to a lost friend.
Hope you both are doing well. Sue and I had a very successful trip and one without a single mechanical issue with either tow vehicle or our T@B 320. Enjoyed talking with you at Graham Island State Park in ND and have had fun looking through your website. After a couple of very warm evenings on the Snake River (98 F) we have ordered a Maxair 7000 Max Fan for the T@B! Our 90 watt Zamp solar array kept our new AGM battery topped off during the times we were off grid.
So good to hear from you two. Thanks for telling us about Tom Benson, we shall also raise a glass to him when we venture up to Whitefish Point again. Glad to hear the Zamp performed well. We appreciate ours. You’ll love the MaxxAir. Hope we can rendezvous again, perhaps üCamp22. Let us know if you are able to fit that into your schedule. Happy Trails!