Edmund Fitzgerald 41st Anniversary

On November 10, 2008, my husband I had an opportunity to attend the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Service at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, Michigan. It was a moving and educational experience.

The program stated:November 10, 1975, the Fitzgerald and her entire crew of 29 men were lost in one of the worst storms in three decades. No one knows why a 729-foot ore carrier could founder so suddenly and mysteriously. The Fitz lies just 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point in 535 feet of water."

We arrived at Whitefish Point in the mid-afternoon so we could take some photos in good light. It was a blustery, cold day.

We went down to the beach on the walkway and saw two boats heading out into the lake.
I recently read The Living Great Lakes by Jerry Dennis. It is a great book for learning about the Great Lakes and their history, biology, geology through Dennis' love for the Lakes. In the book, he describes this time of year on Lake Superior.

"November is the deadliest month. Ask any sailor. It's when the lakes still embrace some of summer's heat, but the air above has turned to winter. A meteorologist for the National Weather Service once calculated that on the average the greatest difference between the temperature of the lakes and the temperature of the air above them occurs on November 10."

This November 10 was windy & damp; cold but not dangerous to shipping. When we arrived there was a rainbow right over this boat but it doesn't show up in the photo.


After taking pictures, we drove into Paradise for dinner. The Berry Patch stayed open late to serve the visitors for the Fitzgerald ceremony. I enjoyed a great pastie in this small restaurant and bakery.

When we returned to Whitefish Point, it was dark and the beacon from the lighthouse was showing bright.

I took this video in the afternoon. You can here the howling wind and the fog horn sounding!

Gales of November -November 9 in Michigan History

I'm sitting in my warm living room listening to a howling northwest wind outside.  The northwest wind never means good weather on Lake Superior.  Especially in November.

November 9, 1913 is the anniversary of the huge storm that struck Lake Superior.  It started on November 9 and raged for three days.  It is remembered as the most devastating storm on Lake Superior.  The winds blew at hurricane force for 16 straight hours.  It is remembered as the White Hurricane.

When the winds died down 40 ships had been sunk resulting in the loss of 235 seamen. 

 The following two pictures were taken on November 9, 2008.  The St. Marys River pic was from near the Soo.  The photo of me getting blown away is from Whitefish Point later that day.  I was there getting ready for tomorrow's big anniversary-the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  More about that tomorrow.

November 8 -Election Day History in Michigan

Today is an important day in the United States as we elect a new president.  This has been a hard-fought battle between Trump and Clinton.  Most people seem glad that the campaigning is now over.

But November 8 has been an important day in Michigan's history of elections.

It was November 8, 1836 when Michigan citizens were first able to vote for president.  Michigan became a state officially on January 26, 1837, however the citizens were allowed to take part in the 1836 Presidential election.

Martin Van Buren won the election in part thanks to the vote of Michigan.  He had been the Vice-President under Andrew Jackson.

November 8, 1870 is also an important day in Michigan history because it is the first time that blacks were allowed to vote in a Michigan election.  The right to vote or suffrage was guaranteed to African-Americans by the 15th Amendment to the US Constitution.  Of course, this was the right to vote for black males.  No females of any race were allowed to vote until 1920.

I recently visited Seneca Falls,  New York where the first convention on women's rights was held.  The convention issued a Declaration of Sentiments calling for rights of women to be increased including the right to vote.

  The idea that women should be given the right to vote was a matter of contention at this convention.  Frederick Douglass, the African-American social reformer, urged the women to include the right to vote on the convention's Declaration of Sentiments.