Taking in a Pilgrim: A tall ship replica from Russia made it to Duluth this summer and now will winter over in the city while its crew heads home. On Facebook, Jon Kucko Digital has documented the arrival of the Pilgrim from Duluth's sister city of Petrozavodsk. It is circumnavigating the globe. Duluth's mayor, Emily Larson, declared Wednesday, Sept. 9, as Lodya (Pilgrim) Day, acknowledging the good-will mission of Capt. Sergey Sinelnik and his crew. The pine vessel is the replica of an 18th century ship. It was lifted into dry dock in Duluth recently with the captain watching closely (and photographed by crew member Alexei). The captain will return to Petrozavodsk with plans to come back to sail in May. Capt. Sinelnik will be raising more funds to finish the journey, begun two years ago, to chase his teenage dream to sail around the globe, notes Jon. The crew has logged 11,700 nautical miles so far. In May, they will truck the Pilgrim from Duluth to Seattle or to the Snake River to enter the Pacific Ocean and head to Alaska.
A Dry Run: The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alder, home ported in Duluth, give their drysuits a dry run at the end of month, as well as training with their emergency skills in other procedures. "Today members of our crew tested out our drysuits to ensure they are watertight and will keep us warm. We may not need them now, but Duluth's summers don't last forever!" the crew posted. With this week's lows temperatures prompting frost warnings along the Minnesota shore, it looks like that time came quickly indeed. The training is all part of keeping the U.S. Coast Guard members able to fulfill that military branch's motto: Semper Paratus (Always Ready).
Wreck Finders: The highly successful Minnesota wreck hunters whose finds we know on Lake Superior discovered another vessel lost to history, but this one on Lake Michigan. Jerry Eliason and Ken Merryman leaned on historic records to unravel the mystery of where the 338-foot steel cross-lake car ferry Pere Marquette 18 sank 110 years ago this week, taking the lives of nearly 30 people. Although the Sept. 9, 1910, sinking was witnessed by many vessels there to aid the distressed ferry, its location had been lost over time. Jerry and Ken made an educated guess on the wreck location and this summer, for a second time, they searched from aboard Ken's Heyboy. The wreckage was found in about 500 feet of water near Sheboygan, Wis. After making the discovery, they enlisted the aid of Tom Crossmon of Duluth who took videos with his ROV. Jerry created this blended image from his own scans. Andrew Krueger of MPR reported on the find. At the time of the wreck, there were more than 60 people on board, including three passengers and crew members who were refurbishing the vessel, plus 29 railroad cars, general merchandise and coal. Relating the wreck, the Wisconsin Shipwrecks website maintained by Wisconsin Sea Grant and the Wisconsin Historical Society, notes, "Thirteen railroad cars were jettisoned, and three lifeboats were launched when the Pere Marquette 17 arrived on the scene to provide assistance. Just as #17 arrived, #18 sank stern first, taking 27 lives. 35 people were rescued by the Pere Marquette 17. The flooding and loss of the 18 is still unexplained mainly because no officer survived the disaster to recount what had happened prior to the sinking to cause all the water to enter the after hold." Perhaps new views will bring up the answers.
No Rinky-Dink Operation: Work is under way on a beautiful outdoor skating rink planned at The Machine Shop in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. On Sept. 3, the bones of the structure already had been raised. This drawing shows what the completed rink should look like.
Taking on Water: The University of Wisconsin's Lake Superior Research Institute (LSRI) will receive $5 million in federal funding over five years to aid in testing of new ballast water treatment technologies geared to protecting the Great Lakes from introduced invasive species, Danielle Kaeding reported for Wisconsin Public Radio. Federal, state and local officials gathered at the institute's site for testing ballast water treatment systems in Superior to make the announcement. "What we hope to do is to kind of look at the data, the unique aspects of the shipping community here, also the water quality, and be able to tailor a testing program for these technologies for the Great Lakes," Danielle quoted Kelsey Prihoda, an LSRI assistant scientist and the Great Waters Research Collaborative's program manager.
Drive-through Holidays: Organizers and promoters of Bentleyville USA, the mega-light display annually presented on Duluth's waterfront from around Thanksgiving through Christmas, announced this week that the show will go on this year, but with a distinct differences. For one, the walk-through display will no longer be for walking. To control intermingling of visitors, the display will be viewed from your car, with a $10 fee for each vehicle, reports BusinessNorth. A driving route is being developed. “We made the decision, the Bentleyville board, to offer something rather than nothing,” said Nathan Bentley, who started a mega-lights display in his yard 17 years ago that spawned the sprawling Bentleyville waterfront display. The display will still feature the 128-foot Christmas tree, nearly 5 million lights, appearances by Santa and Mrs. Claus, costumed characters, Bentleyville music and fire pits. Children will receive a free Santa hat and cookie. Missing will be walk-up donation boxes and candy bar sales. The Bentleyville gift shop will move from Bayfront to leased space at Grandma’s Sports Garden in Canal Park. The event annually brings about $20 million to the local economy, said Anna Tanski, president and CEO of Visit Duluth. Bentleyville in this unique, hopefully one-year, edition will keep alive a holiday tradition among visitors from as far as Iowa and North Dakota, Nathan says. The display will open Nov. 21-Dec. 27.
Once in a Blue Moon: Tanner Hrycyk didn't realize how rare his 27-inch blue-toned trout catch was from Lake Superior, or he would have released it back into Black Bay, the eco-systems management student at Confederation College told Pete Thomas of USAToday's For the Win Outdoors. Pete found out from a fish production program manager for the Michigan DNR that this rainbow with a decidedly blue hue is a hatchery-raised trout with a genetic mutation. Tanner, who was using his Tail Dancer lure when he caught the fish in August, says now that he knows about the special nature of his blue rainbow, he wishes he'd released it. Still, as an avid angler in Thunder Bay, Tanner will no doubt be casting a line into the Big Lake waters again, ready for a more regular rainbow. Meanwhile, his story is a popular catch, surfacing on the Canadian Fishing Network and in a French-language publication Balle Courbe.
Steeped in History: When Scott Bjorklund became a ranger at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in Duluth, he refocused his fascination for history to the maritime heritage of the region. Now an avid maritime photographer, Scott spoke with our friend Bick Smith, who via CyBick Productions has been creating audio stories from the shores of the Big Lake for Lake Superior Magazine. In this episode, Scott and Bick discuss the Duluth connection to the economy of the country and the interconnected nature of our local transportation hub. For those longing to hear a bridge salute, Bick has posted a short video, with dramatic musical accompaniment, of the Mesabi Miner turning a corner under the Aerial Lift Bridge.
A Fitting Memorial: The Washburn Chamber of Commerce will donate to area libraries a copy of The Throbbing Moon and the Three Season Tango, a memoir by Michele Wheeler. Michele, a resident of Washburn, died June 23 and the book donations will be on behalf of her family. Michele's work has been featured on SurvivorNet, Share Care Cancer Support and on her blog, which was selected for a Healthlne.com 2020 Blog of the Year award. The memoir was published last month, after Michele's passing. The Amazon.com description of the book notes: "What does it mean to be told in your life’s prime this time the cancer is terminal? … The Throbbing Moon and the Three Season Tango is a stunningly beautiful, viscerally penetrating and unforgettable gift to us all, regardless of our backgrounds or beliefs and regardless of whether or not our lives have been touched by cancer. The memoir of a magnificent woman who, at the end of a life that has changed so many lives for the better, asks us all to see the beauty in one another." Michele, who was 46, has twin daughters and is also survived by her husband, Jon Wheeler. The family moved to northern Wisconsin in 2004 in Mason and then to Washburn in 2012. In the region, Michele worked as fisheries biologist for the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Commission and for the Fish and Wildlife Service, as executive director for the Bad River Watershed Association and most recently as the Lake Superior Coordinator for the Lakewide Management Plan with the Wisconsin DNR.
Travels with Andy: "I love this episode," says Andy Kaknevicius, the videographer releasing an episode a week as he chronicles his travels clockwise around Lake Superior from last year and before. "We are now in Wawa and Michipicoten. … I have to admit, If I had to live again in a small northern Ontario town, Wawa would rate in the Top 3, and I'm not sure what the other two would be. The history around Wawa and Michipicoten is incredibly diverse. The people in the distant and not so distant past are remembered through so many creative initiatives and stories. It is romantic, tragic and inspiring in so many ways, a beautiful corner of Lake Superior. It tugs at the heartstrings in so many ways, the longer you stay, the harder it is to leave." Andy captures it all in a 23-minute segment.
Remembering Dixie: Lake Superior Magazine lost another great friend, great writer and advisor. Dixie Franklin, born in Texas, made the Upper Peninsula her home and her mission as a nationally recognized travel writer. She died in Gwinn on Monday, Sept. 7, at age 93. Dixie came to Michigan in 1969 and was a prize-winning author once employed as a media consultant for the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. "She traveled much of the world as she gathered stories for publications that included Chicago Tribune, Midwest Living, National Geographic and many others," her obituary at Fassbender Swanson Hansen Funeral & Cremation Services in Marquette notes. "For years, she covered news for Milwaukee Journal, Detroit News, and Green Bay Press-Gazette. She was a columnist for The Mining Journal and Michigan Out-of-Doors and authored books on Michigan and the Great Lakes. … In 2016, Dixie was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame and was the first woman chair of Michigan Outdoor Writers." Dixie also was a longtime contributor to Lake Superior Magazine and an advisor to the publication. For the magazine's 40th anniversary, Dixie was featured in a story along with Donn Larson, another of our contributors and advisors who also recently died. In that anniversary story, Dixie described meeting Jim Marshall, longtime owner and publisher. "Jim Marshall and I met at the Marquette Regional History Center, where he was searching for stories to appear in his new Lake Superior Magazine, and I was at my usual prowl on my Wednesday afternoons away from my regular job at a local dental office. Writer meets editor! Lifelong friendship!" In announcing her passing, Steve Asplund of TV6 declared, "Upper Michigan lost a treasure in Dixie Floella Franklin." We couldn't agree more.
Photo & graphic credits: Pilgrim crew; USCG Alder; Jerry Eliason; The Machine Shop; Bentleyville USA; Tanner Hrycyk; Scott Bjorklund; Bublish Inc.; Andy Kaknevicius; Fassbender Swanson Hansen Funeral & Cremation Services