Day 26: Whitefish Point

 

We arrived at Tahquamenon State Park to find the best camp site we’ve ever had outside of the RV resort condo parks. We are in a  paved boomerang shaped pull through surrounded by Christmas trees - spruce, hemlock, and a large white pine tree.  The only flaw is that there are LOTS of aggressive mosquitoes.

Upon arrival we headed thirteen miles up to Whitefish Point to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. There we saw displays about several of the most infamous wrecks of the area which is known as the grave yard of the Great Lakes. Each display had artifacts of the wreck as well as the facts of the accident.  The renovated light keepers house was also open for tour.

Whitefish Point Light Station is the scene of the most ship wrecks on Lake Superior. It is a place where the lake narrows and ships are funneled to the locks at Sault Ste.  Marie. In the old days there were 3,100 ships on the lake with no radar. Collisions were common. Today there are about 200 big freighters. The most recent (1975),  famous, and mysterious ship wreck is the Edmund Fitzgerald. It was caught in one of the worst storms ever on the lake with 90 mph winds, 30 ft waves, and blinding snow. It is now believed the Fitz struck a shoal and gradually began to take on water.  The bow sank low shifting the iron ore load forward which, along with the stress of the waves, caused the ship to split in half and sink suddenly taking all lives aboard.

Our most interesting experience at the museum was meeting a docent, Bill, who had been a deck watchman aboard the Anderson which was following seven miles behind the Fitz. He said contributing factors to the loss of the Fitz were the light at Whitefish being out due to an electrical short, the Fitz having lost her radar, blinding snow, and the Coast Guard cutter at Sault Ste. Marie being in dry dock. The Anderson was asked by the Coast Guard to go back into the storm to look for the Fitz which it  did. Bill said the Anderson provided the first direct evidence that the Fitz had sunk as she recovered some debris with the ship’s name.

We walked out on the point and saw sand dunes and a freighter coming off the lake headed for the locks.   Unlike the rocky shores we’ve seen before, the lake looked like the Florida Gulf or the Atlantic beaches.