Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point
Michigan's Upper Peninsula Site is Center of Shipwreck Coast
Aug 6, 2009
This maritime museum in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is in the center of the shipwreck coast. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgeralnd is the most famous shipwreck documented here.
The fame of the song by Gordon Lightfoot is what draws many to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Paradise, Michigan, and from there, the general public begins to learn more about the often overlooked and treacherous world of Great Lakes shipping.
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
The Edmund Fitzgerald was one of the largest boats to have ever plied the Great Lakes. On an unusually warm and sunny November 9, 1975, the Fitz left the docks at Superior, Wisconsin fully loaded with 26,000 tons of taconite iron pellets heading to the automobile industry in Detroit.
As she made her way up Minnesota’s rugged North Shore, the winds switched, bringing freezing rain and snow. With gusts up to 90 miles an hour, waves capped at 40 feet. Seeking protection from the storm, the Fitz continued to hug the shoreline, crossing into Canadian waters rather than heading directly across the open waters of Lake Superior toward the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The Arthur M. Anderson, a super freighter that had departed Superior/Duluth shortly after the Fitz, followed at a distance of about seven miles.
At 7:10 p.m., Capt. Ernest McSorley on the Fitzgerald radioed that he had water coming in, but they were holding their own. That was his last transmission. A few minutes later, the Anderson could no longer see lights from the Fitz and at 7:25 p.m., the radar image disappeared.
The most widely accepted cause of the wreck is that the taconite load shifted to the bow and as the 735-foot long Fitzgerald topped a 40-foot wave, the load created a torpedo effect, forcing the massive boat to Lake Superior’s floor.
The great boat lies in two pieces beneath 530 feet of water on Caribou Shoals Reef in Canadian waters. None of the 29 crew was recovered.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Although quite remote for the general tourist trade, Whitefish Bay, near the village of Paradise, Michigan on the Upper Peninsula, is more than an appropriate setting for this maritime museum. This is where the Fitzgerald and the Arthur M. Anderson were heading that fateful night. Whitefish Point is considered the turning point for all shipping traffic in and out of Lake Superior, and as a result, is the site of numerous wrecks earning the area the nickname “Shipwreck Coast.”
Whitefish Point Light, built in 1849, was the first lighthouse in Michigan and is the focal point of the museum complex, operated by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. Founded in 1978, the Historical Society is a group of divers and marine enthusiasts primarily from the Upper Peninsula. The museum they operate includes the restored keeper’s quarters, video theatre, gift shop and bed and breakfast inn.
In addition to five well-appointed private guest rooms, the inn’s lower level is designed to accommodate dive teams with sleeping quarters for 12, a sauna, an air station, and exceptional storage space. The inn is well-stocked with videos, maps and books from dive sites around the Shipwreck Coast. This is one of many Michigan lighthouses that offer overnight accommodations.
Gordon Lightfoot’s woebegone voice and the song’s droning rhythm fill the cavernous Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, setting the stage to learn more about the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald as well as the 6,000 lesser-known shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. Exhibits cover a number of shipwrecks and conditions that led to the disasters, but the focal point is the 200-pound bell from pilothouse of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
In July 1995, director Thomas Farnquist led an authorized crew from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society to explore the wreck site. With family members of a few Fitzgerald crew members watching the activity, a diver in NEWT Suit removed the bell from the roof of the pilothouse and replaced it with a memorial bell engraved with the names of those whose lives ended that November day.
The NEWT Suit used in the dive is on display along with a number of photos and detailed explanation of the complexity of such an advanced dive using a self-contained diving bell.
“A large portion of our mission is to educate divers as well as the general public that these wrecks should be treated as time capsules,” said Farnquist.
Tahquamenon Falls State Park
While in the area, plan a visit Tahquamenon Falls State Park, the second largest state park in Michigan. The park is known for its six beautiful waterfalls, more than 40 miles of hiking trails, and wildlife that includes moose, black bear and timber wolves. A great stop for lunch is the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery & Pub inside the park. Mounted trophies of some of the wildlife dominate the decor. The menu is dominated by four locally-made brews and the must-have Lake Superior Whitefish sandwich. Finish off with Fruit of the Forest Pie.
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