A Most Poignant Day

Today Tam and I went to Whitefish Point - a point jutting out into the depths of Lake Superior just at the entrance of Whitefish Bay.  Some 17 miles out from Whitefish Point, the last sighting of the Edmund Fitzgerald was on November the 10th 1975 at roughly 5:30pm.  That fateful day, the winds of Lake Superior reach 90 mph, with 30 foot waves, the lighthouse at Whitefish Point was not operating that night, all this was a recipe for disaster.   Lost with all 29 hands.  Some old, some young, but all left families trying to cope with the loss.  I was 17 then and remember that day.  Twenty years later, a joint effort between Canada and the US raised the ship's bell from the depths ~ 500 feet and replaced it with another bell.  All the names of the lost crew where etched on that bell and now it rests on the deck of the "Big Fitz".

As we toured the museum we were touched by the lives of those men who met their God that November evening.  A watery grave indeed and I came away with another dose of healthy respect for those who put their lives at risk for they consider a normal job.

Over past 4 centuries the total number of ships to go down is estimated at 6000 with 30,000 lives lost in the Great Lakes.

The French Voyageurs, the first white men to explore the great lakes region hoped for a passage to the orient for trade.  I think this warrants more personal study!

Here are some links to explore the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Site and the "Big Fitz:"

http://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/whitefishpoint
http://www.ssefo.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald
http://www.exploringthenorth.com/whitefish/whitefish.html

Fathers, husbands, brothers and sons - may you all rest in peace

Whitefish Point Lighthouse.