The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and Emory Kristof, National Geographic Magazine
Diving the Fitz
There have been about half a dozen dives to the Edmund Fitzgerald site since the wreck in 1975.
Communities commemorate Fitz anniversary
On Tuesday night, the maritime community marked the 40th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the loss of its 29 crew members.
At Minnesota’s Split Rock Lighthouse, some 1,500 people turned out for the annual Fitz memorial ceremony and beacon lighting: “Dressed in a 1920s lighthouse keeper's uniform, Winston Norby pulled the rope to hit the bell's clapper against its bronze side, each of the 30 bell tolls ringing out from the shadow of the Split Rock Lighthouse,” wrote Lisa Kaczke in the Duluth News Tribune. That story is accompanied by video of the ceremony.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, just 15 miles from the Fitzgerald’s watery grave, welcomed Gordon Lightfoot on the eve of the anniversary. Gordon, whose song about the wreck has helped keep the memory alive in popular culture, met with families of the lost sailors and toured the museum. The next day the museum hosted its annual memorial.
Duluth’s WDIO-TV produced a 6-minute memorial. Former anchor Dennis Anderson was interviewed for the segment. (You can read his first-person account of that night’s broadcast in our October/November issue.)
Terrence Tysall, one of the few people to dive the wreck site, recounted the experience in an interview with MLive.com.
+ From our archive: “Edmund Fitzgerald: Decades of Speculation, Fascination and Grieving.”
+ Video: Via WBUP-TV, footage of the Fitzgerald in the years before it went down.
+ New research on rogue waves published: University of Wisconsin scientists confirmed that rogue waves, twice as high as the waves around them, are real – and may have helped take down the Fitz, writes John Myers in the Duluth News Tribune. Their groundbreaking work can be seen on theINFOS website.
+ For the weather geeks: The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory has a video that shows the wave height and wind conditions on Lake Superior during the storm that claimed the Fitz.
Hank Calvert / Lake Superior Magazine
MMPA Excellence Awards 2015
The team won six awards in the annual MMPA contest this year.
Lake Superior Magazine wins awards from MMPA
Woo-hoo! We were honored six times last night at the Minnesota Magazine & Publishing Association’s annual Excellence Awards.
Here’s what we won:
Gold – Feature Article, “Still Here and Thriving,” by Konnie LeMay and Winona LaDuke. (Winona’s essay in the package is available to read online.)
Gold – Special Section/Supplement, “The Guide.”
Silver – Regular Column, “Lake Superior Journal.”
Silver – Special Section/Supplement, “Lake Superior Recreation Guide.”
Bronze – Feature Article, “Dune Dwellers,” written and photographed by Sparky Stensaas.
Bronze – Overall Design.
Dashcam? How about a bridgecam: Watch the Great Lakes Trader pass through the Soo Locks.
Thunder Bay artist receives leadership award: Lora Northway runs several art programs for young people, including Native and LGBT youth. CBC Thunder Bay interviewed her about the Emerging Cultural Leader award from Artist-Run Centres & Collectives of Ontario.
Photos: Leaping fish on the Sioux: Wisconsin photographer Hannah Stonehouse Hudson got wet to snap these images of the fall run. There’s video, too.
Is it time for Thunder Bay to host the Canada Summer Games again? The city last hosted the games in 1981. One city councilor says that’s long enough, according to the CBC.
Algoma port welcomes first cargo: “The first vessel of the new Port of Algoma in Sault Ste. Marie arrived Nov. 4 to unload 13,500 tons of road salt,” reports Northern Ontario Business.