One of my absolute favorite places in Michigan is Whitefish Point. Summer or winter, the area contains an eerie, humbling ora. Beneath the waves, hundreds of ship wrecks found their final resting place just off the point. The most famous of them being the Edmund Fitzgerald. It seems fitting to have the Whitefish Point Lighthouse and Museumthere to commemorate those lost at sea to remind of true power of Gitche Gumee. The Whitefish Point Lighthouse opened in 1861 (Thanks President Lincoln!) Then in the late 1930s, the US Coast Guard set up shop there to help with rescue efforts. In the late 1980s, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society took over and turned the facility into the museum we walk through today. To this day, the Coast Guard still operates there, and Whitefish Point remains the oldest lighthouse still working on Lake Superior and one of the oldest Coast Guard Stations in the country.
I visit the museum every summer and am always stunned at the artifacts archeologists discover from wreck sites. Small pieces of china, glasses, wedding rings, even books! While the inside of the museum is rather small, the amount of artifacts from wrecks spanning nearly 300 years is astonishing. When you enter the museum, the first thing you see is the Third Order Fersnel lense (which casts light miles out on the lake) and the bell recovered from the Edmund Fitzgerald. Then you essentially walk with a time line of events, starting with the sinking of the Invincible, which was the first recorded wreck in Lake Superior. Yes, it is slightly ironic. The main attraction though contains artifacts from the Edmund Fitzgerald Archeological Recovery. Small artifacts from the wreck site and the dive suite (which looks more like something an astronaut would ware) are the final exhibit before you exit.
Additionally, the lightkeeper’s house is another place visitors can walk through. The house is set up as it was back in the 1860s to give people a sense of what it was like to live there. A huge radio takes up a chunk of the main living room and aside from the organ was one of the few sources of entertainment during the long winters. Lastly, people can walk through the Coast Guard Station and learn about the history of the Coast Guard at Whitefish Point in its developing stages. Although the Coast Guard boat is probably a good 25-30 feet long, it’s a tiny little spec when trying to rescue survivors in a November gale. I have a lot of respect for those guys. One time while I was walking in the Coast Guard building, I got to speak with one of the sailors who was on the Aurthur M. Anderson the night she looked for the Fitzgerald. His recollection of that night was truly an amazing experience to listen to.
One neat thing that I hope to do is stay there overnight. Whitefish Point offers rooms for overnight accommodations in the Coast Guard building. While this isn’t a free attraction like some of the others I’ve featured here, it’s well worth the money and the drive to visit. Additionally, since its a non-profit museum, all of the money goes back into the maintenance and restoration of the site.
My last visit this summer was the best. For the first time I was able to climb to the top of the light! It was exciting and something I’ve been dying to do. It’s an additional fee, but again all of the money supports the facility.
If you don’t want to spend the money to go in the museum, you can still enjoy the beautiful site and the beach just over the foothill. Maybe you will find some agate to pay for your admission!
PS-If you are a wreck diver you will love this place!
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