Last night was perfect for sleeping at Hemlock Campground. It was 59 degrees in site 102 when we rose for breakfast under blue skies. It is only twenty-three miles from the campground at Tahquamenon Falls to Whitefish Point. If you have any interest in ships, lighthouses, or the history of the Great Lakes, this is a great place to visit.
While waiting for the next showing of the orientation film, we walked out to a raised deck, where birders come during spring and fall migrations.
The view from the birding platform was nice, but the real attraction here takes a bit more climbing to reach.
Built in 1849, the Whitefish Point Light Station, has been restored and is open for climbing. This hatch was the smallest point in the ascent. It would have been quite a challenge to carry oil up these stairs on a cold, dark, night.
A modern light sits outside the old lighthouse.
Beth isn’t a big fan of heights, but she did wait patiently while I shot photos from all sides.
The museum has several buildings and beautifully maintained grounds. You can arrange to stay on the grounds in the building to the right in this photo.
The lighthouse keeper’s quarters even has nautically themed lace curtains.
The designer made an enclosed corridor connecting the second floor, where the bedrooms are, to the lighthouse stairway making it easier for night-time runs up the spiral staircase to service the light.
The quarters were filled with artifacts from previous keepers and set-up as it would have been in the early nineteen hundreds.
Beth fact checked the log entries made by the lighthouse keeper.
The main museum building told the story of the ships that had wrecked in Lake Superior. The focus was on the Edmund Fitzgerald and featured the bell recovered from the deck.
Divers wore these suits to recover the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald. They replaced it with a statue with all the crew member’s names etched on it as a remembrance of those lost in the disaster. The whole exhibit was very moving. It was a tribute to the people that work on the lakes and to the coast guard and light keepers that try to keep them safe.
The light service had a sign posted by the rowing skiff summing it up pretty well:
You have to go out, but you don’t have to come back
I couldn’t resist using black and white. The scene just called for it.
Michigan maintains a whole series of these harbors on lakes, Superior, Huron and Michigan. It allows small craft to make safe jumps up the coast. Back in the dark ages we sailed from the Detroit area to Alpena, on Lake Huron, but this is our first time visiting Lake Superior.
We definitely endorse visiting Whitefish Point and The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. It was one of the highlights of our month-long trip.
