History, Light Station, and Shipwrecks of Whitefish Point Michigan

This summer my family and I vacationed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We visited the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and the Museum complex at Whitefish Point. This museum is a treasure trove of history, tragedy, beauty, and stories of heroism.

Whitefish Point

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

Situated in Michigan’s beautiful Eastern Upper Peninsula, Whitefish Point is a gateway to Lake Superior. It is a dangerous point for shipping and marks the eastern end of an infamous 80-mile stretch of shoreline known as Lake Superior’s Shipwreck Coast. Of the 550 known major shipwrecks on Lake Superior, at least 200 of them are in the surrounding area of Whitefish Point. The primary causes of shipwreck here are stress from weather and collision. In November 1975 the loss of the steamer Edmund Fitzgerald and her entire crew of 29 is a worldwide legend. The wreck of the Fitzgerald lies just 15 miles northwest of Whitefish Point.

Lighthouse perspective

Congress established the Whitefish Point Light Station in 1849. Since then, its life-saving beacon has continuously illuminated these treacherous waters. In 1861, during Abraham Lincoln’s administration, the present light tower was built. Today, the Whitefish Point Light is the oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Superior. When visiting the museum, for a small fee, you can brave the narrow stairwell to the deck of the light. The view from the top is breathtaking.

My husband and I at the top
of the lighthouse

The Light Station was operated exclusively by the U.S. Lighthouse Service from 1849 until 1923. Then the U.S. Coast Guard established a Lifeboat Rescue Station at the point. In 1939, the Lighthouse Service and the Coast Guard merged. Lifeboat Station ceased operation in 1951, and in 1970 the Coast Guard removed all personnel from the site.

Even with the help of the light station and the Coast Guard

Inside and outside of a lifeboat 

Lifeboat Rescue Station the area is wrought with shipwrecks. What is it about a shipwreck that’s so fascinating to us? Perhaps because the ship is a testimony to the lives of those who perished, or because of the sheer terror the thought of a ship sinking in the middle of a vast body of water invokes in us. Whatever the reason, my deepest sympathies and reverence go out to those lost at sea. 

Due to Lake Superior’s extreme depths, most shipwreck sites remain undisturbed. Explorations leave wrecks and artifacts as they lay with only professional documentation of the site taking place.

There are over 6,000 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes with an estimated loss of 30,000 mariners’ lives. Most of the estimated 550 shipwrecks in Lake Superior go undiscovered. At least 200 of those wrecks are along Lake Superior’s Shipwreck Coast.

The SS Comet is one of the more fascinating shipwrecks in the area. She is

known as the only treasure ship of Lake Superior. Built in 1857 as a wooden-hulled steamship, propeller-driven cargo vessel, the Comet was soon adapted to carry passengers. In 1875 she went down with a crew of ten. She carried 70 tons of Montana silver ore when she sank. The first attempts to salvage her cargo came in 1876. Then again in 1938 both attempts were unsuccessful. In the 1980’s the Comet was finally salvaged. Though apparently the salvagers illegally removed the ships artifacts, they now belong to the State of Michigan and are on loan to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The fate of The Comet’s silver ore cargo is still unknown. Her resting place at the bottom of the lake is protected by the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve as part of an underwater museum which is frequented by deep-water divers.

The most famous of all Great Lakes shipwrecks has to be the November 10th, 1975 sinking of The Edmund Fitzgerald. The ship was 729 feet long, 39 feet high, and had a breadth of 75 feet. Empty, the vessel weighed 13,632 tons. The Edmund Fitzgerald broke records for the amount of cargo it could haul, and while many factors played into the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Some of the theories include the ship’s size and weight in addition to the fierce November storm on that fateful night. Winds were clocked at 45 knots and waves as high as 30 feet were undoubtedly a significant aspect in the ultimate demise of the Edmund Fitzgerald. There has even been speculation that a rough wave pulled the ship under water. Though the actual cause may never be known the tragedy of the death of The Edmund Fitzgerald’s crew of 29 will forever be immortalized in the Gordon Lightfoot song, The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald.

The day we visited Whitefish Point the skies were clear and blue. The water calm and cold, and the wind warm and light. The area is saturated with a long history, rich with the heroics of the Coast Guard’s Lifesaving Station, the hope of the beacon of light shining from the Light House Station that still burns brightly today, and the horrifying heartbreak of many shipwrecks along its coast. If you ever have the chance to venture to Whitefish Point, be sure to stop by The Shipwreck Museum and take a moment to remember those who will never leave. 

                      All photos are copyright by Michele K. Morris and may not be used with permission of the author.

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Award winning author, Michele K. Morris’s love for historical fiction began when she first read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book series. She grew up riding horses and spending her free time in the woods of mid-Michigan dreaming of days-gone-by and knights-in-shining-armor. Therefore, it only makes sense that she now writes historical romance with a touch of suspense. Married to her high school sweetheart, they are living happily-ever-after with their children, in-loves, and grandchildren in Florida, the sunshine state. When not spending time with her large brood or writing, Michele enjoys photography, genealogy, and cooking.

An Old-Time Hero: Joshua James

by Naomi Rawlings

"You have to go out. You don’t have to come back."

Two years ago I did a series of posts about the Unite States Life-Saving Service. (If you want to brush up on what exactly the Life-Saving Service was and how they went about rescuing people from wrecked ships, here's a link to some of my old posts). 

"You have to go out. You don’t have to come back." This was the unofficial motto of the U.S Life-Saving Service, a precursor to the United States Coast Guard. Back before helicopters and radar and power boats, life-saving teams braved stormy waters with little more than rowboats, storm suits, and life rings.

Out of the hundreds of men that risked their lives for the life-saving service, one man stands out as

the most decorated and most well known. His name is Joshua James, and he lived in Massachusetts. At the age of ten, James watched his mother and baby sister die when the ship they were sailing on got caught in a storm and wrecked a half mile from the harbor.

When he was fifteen, James joined a group of volunteers from the local humane society was the launched a surfboat to go rescue passengers from a floundering ship named Mohawk. That was Jame's first life-saving rescue, but he went on to spend the next sixty years of his life rescuing sailors. First, he worked as a volunteer life-saver for the Massachusetts Humane Society, and then he worked as a station keeper for the U.S. Life-Saving Service. He's credited with saving over 200 lives, and was awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal from the life-saving service as well as several other medals from the Massachusetts Humane Society. 

James died at the age of 75, after returning from running a life-saving drill in stormy weather. He apparently paddled for over an hour with the other men of his crew while they tested a new surfboat. Upon returning to the beach, he died of a heart attack.

I modeled the hero in my newest Eagle Harbor novel after Joshua James. My fictional Elijah Cummings grew up in Eagle Harbor, Michigan, on the shores of Lake Superior. He spent two years sailing the Atlantic Ocean and saw life-saving teams in action. After his father drowns in a storm, Elijah returns to Eagle Harbor. Unable to sit by and watch when ships flounder coming into port, he starts a volunteer life-saving team. But the icy conditions and strong storms prove difficult for his volunteers and secondhand equipment. He soon finds himself fighting for the U.S. Life-Saving Service to establish a legitimate station—as well as fighting for the woman he’s loved for fifteen years.

Giveaway: Answer one of the questions below to be eligible for a paperback copy of either Love's Unfading Light or Love's Every Whisper. Winner's choice.

Question: Do you enjoy novels where the characters have unusual jobs and hobbies? Do you personally know anyone with a dangerous job that puts their life at risk? How do family members respond when a person they love has a risky job?

*****

Love's Every Whisper

Victoria Donnelly simply wants to do something right, at least once in her lifetime. With five years of failed courtships behind her and the calendar inching closer to another birthday, she's determined to redeem herself and snag a proposal from a wealthy childhood acquaintance, Gilbert Sinclair. But returning to Eagle Harbor stirs up long forgotten memories. And worse, old affection for her betrothed's enemy. 

Elijah Cummings has loved Victoria for fifteen years. But fishermen's sons don't marry shipping barons' daughters. He knows it. She knows it. The entire town knows it. Resolved to keep his distance from Victoria, Elijah focuses on establishing a much needed life-saving station, risking his own life by rescuing sailors stuck aboard shipwrecks. 

He knows how to save drowning sailors, but how is he to save a woman from the biggest mistake of her life—without destroying both their hearts in the process? 

Purchase Love's Every Whisper for $3.99

Purchase Love's Unfading Light (Eagle Harbor Book 1) on sale for $0.99 through 10/2

Shipwrecked Cars?

By Marilyn Turk


Nov. 30, 1926

The Eagle Harbor Coast Guard rounded Keweenaw Point, returning from rescuing 22 men from a shipwreck. Ahead of them appeared a ship stranded in ice, also a victim of a Lake Superior winter storm, yet the vessel appeared to be abandoned. Where was the crew?

As they continued on, the Coast Guard saw the desperate men from the ship, the City of Bangor, standing on the icy shore. Shouting to the men a promise to return for them, they deposited the first group of rescued men safely in Copper Harbor, then went back and fought the blizzard’s icy waves to reach the 29 weak and exhausted mariners.

Many of the men suffered from frostbite and exposure after spending a cold night on the snow without food or adequate clothing. Bound for Duluth from Detroit, their ship hit the rocks the previous day, ripping the hull open and pouring water into the engine room. As icy spray from the lake froze over the steel ship, it became a cold, dark iceberg.

The crew had to wait until the next day for the seas to calm enough to launch a lifeboat. However, no help awaited them nearby, as the area was devoid of houses, people or roads. They built fires, and the ship’s officers kept the men moving to prevent them from freezing to death in the subzero temperatures.The Coast Guard rescued them just in time to save their lives, yet many required hospitalization.

But what about the 248 brand new 1926 Chryslers that were the ship’s cargo? Were they lost to the sea?

At least eighteen cars had been blown off the deck by the fierce winds. But most of the cars in the ship’s hold were still in excellent condition.

But how could the cars be retrieved?

Drive them off, of course. How, you ask? Wait until the lake freezes over. And that’s what happened.

When the water surrounding the ship froze solid enough, a ramp of snow and ice was built to the deck. One by one, the Chryslers were driven off and over the ice to Copper Harbor. They remained there until spring when the roads could be plowed open. Then the cars were driven to Calumet where they were loaded on a train, shipped to Detroit, repaired, and sold.

Several Chryslers did remain in the Copper Harbor area where their proud owners swore they were the "finest cars they ever owned."

1926 Chrysler