The New Kid: Captain Henry Jackman is kind of the new kid on the Great Lakes this year as Algoma Central Corporation's newest Equinox Class gearless dry-bulk carrier plies the waters. The Jackman loaded its first grain cargo July in Thunder Bay (seen here) and set a record for grain cargo size loaded at the Port of Thunder Bay – 31,100 metric tonnes – on its first voyage. The Canadian western red spring wheat, grown in southwestern Manitoba, is destined for international markets. According to Jeff DeRosario, Algoma's vice president-commercial, the vessel’s namesake, Capt. Henry Jackman, immigrated to Huron County, Ont., from the United Kingdom, and in 1851 left the family farm for a life as a seafarer on the Great Lakes. He went on to become a legendary schooner captain, owning a handful of vessels and obtained his license as a Master of inland steamships when the age of sail was in full transition to that of steam in the 1870s. The Port of Thunder Bay posted a video showing the Jackman being loaded.
Waters Not Rising: With drier than average weather and water supply conditions, Lake Superior water levels have declined and are approaching the seasonal long-term average, according to the International Lake Superior Board of Control. Coming off of several years of near-record and record water level highs, the Lake declined in July rather than rising, as is usual. Lake Superior water levels dropped 0.4 inches, while on average during July they rise by 2 inches. That means the Lake starts August 1.2 inches above it long-term average (1918 – 2020), and 9.1 inches below the same time last year. The Lake typically declines in August, but the board's broad forecast for this year notes: Depending on the weather and water supply conditions during the next month, Lake Superior may decline by up to 5 cm. (2 in.) or may rise by up to approximately 10 cm. (3.9 in.) in August.
Time Out for a Day Out: The Lake Superior Railroad Museum at The Depot in Duluth will be on a different track this weekend through next weekend to accommodate its annual visit by Thomas the Tank Engine and his friend Percy (the green train). Today through Sunday and next weekend (Aug. 13-15), only ticket holders of Day Out with Thomas event and museum members will be able to visit the museum. To make certain all trains run smoothly, the railroad controller, Sir Topham Hatt, will be on property supervising all activities. Train rides with Thomas and Percy are included with admission. Then stay for two different magic shows, two live music stages, an amazing maze, festival foods and the All Things Thomas Gift Shop. All activities (except the gift shop) are outside. This is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, a volunteer run organization that was voted by USA Today as the “BEST Transportation Museum in America.” On Monday (Aug. 9) a special, family request event will cater to those with family members on the autism spectrum. This Sensory Friendly “Day Out With Thomas” on the North Shore Scenic Railroad start 9 a.m. with a welcome by Duluth Mayor Emily Larson. The day leaves out the bells, whistles and loud music, featuring an orderly progression of events, a quiet area and limits on participation. Autism Speaks Minnesota, which worked with the railroad to set up the original Sensory Friendly Day, provides special training to all volunteers and staff. Tickets are free for the family member on the Spectrum and their parent or guardian.
The Real Point: In our Wednesday events newsletter, the details on the "Point to La Pointe" annual swim were not correct. The official name this year is the "Point to La Pointe - 2021 Cliff Swim" (or simply 5K Cliff Swim on the T-shirt logos!) and the route has altered. According to the organizers at Recreation and Fitness Resources and the Bayfield Rec Center, "This one time, coastal, 5k triangular loop course is appropriate for the die-hard competitor and regular water enthusiasts alike. The Point to La Pointe - 2021 Cliff Swim provides a unique opportunity for spectators to view the swim from the scenic Brownstone Trail, walking distance from the race start. The trail follows an old railroad grade just feet from the cliff’s edge, with a bird's-eye view 75 feet above Lake Superior. Viewing is also available from the cliffs at Wild Rice Retreat." The event starts about 7:20 a.m. Saturday, leaving from Reiten's Beach (seen in this photo).
Remembering the Morrell: Three modern-day Great Lakes shipwrecks stand out as particularly terrifying – the Edmund Fitzgerald, Nov. 10, 1975, on Lake Superior; the Carl D. Bradley, Nov. 18, 1958, on Lake Michigan; and the Daniel J. Morrell, Nov. 29, 1966, on Lake Huron. Unlike the Fitz, with all 29 crewmembers lost, there were survivors on the other wrecks – two of 35 on the Bradley and one of 29 on the Morrell. Now a soon-to-open exhibit at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum on Whitefish Point in Michigan highlights remembrance of the Morrell and its crew. It features artifacts from the wreck’s sole survivor, Dennis Hale, including the life jacket he wore that night and from Dave Trotter, the shipwreck hunter who rediscovered the Morrell in 1979. “We all wanted to bring attention to that crew,” says the museum’s executive director, Bruce Lynn. “That’s really been a focus.” The exhibit features photos, videos, a musical and sound backdrop. Its story follows the service of the Morrell and a sister ship, Edward Y. Townsend, both in the same storm. It continues to Dennis, who died in 2015, (“Dennis has been so much of the story for so long,” Bruce notes”) and onto the stories of the crew who did not survive with a scrolling video of their photos and backgrounds. “They were hunters, they were fishermen, they read classical literature, they were veterans, they were survivors of other wrecks,” says Bruce. Their stories are a culmination of more than three years of research by the Morrell Research Group, led by maritime author John DeBeck. Dennis' widow, Barb Hale, wanted to keep the memories of the men alive, John says, and he suggested donating items to a museum instead of selling them into private hands. After meeting with about a half dozen potential museums, Barb chose the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, John adds. John wrote a massive book on the wreck, The Daniel J. Morrell – Lost, But No Longer Forgotten, released in 2020 with speculation about causes of the ship’s demise as well as photos and stories of the crew. (This old photo shows the crew playing cards in either the tool or dunnage room, according to John). John also worked with the museum on the exhibit project. “We wanted to find a photo of each man for the exhibit – much like they did for the Fitzgerald,” says John, referring to another major exhibit in the museum. “This kind of grew a whole lot bigger than we expected it to. … Now we know about 28 other men, not just Dennis.” For another display in the exhibit, John tapped his staff from Green Bay's Motorcycle and Model Railroad Museum to build an exact replica model of the Morrell, using a base model donated by Dennis's daughter Cindi. "Over 400 man hours of labor, much of it donated, went into the creation of the model and its display case," John says. This weekend, family of some Morrell crew members will get a special preview of the new exhibit, which opens to the public on Monday. John and some crew family members will also attend a ceremony Sunday at the Great Lakes Lore Museum in Rogers City, Mich., during which all 29 men from the Morrell will be inducted posthumously into the Sailors Hall of Fame. That is a closed event, but the exhibit there also opens to the public on Monday.
And on that Note: We thought we'd leave you with the latest "Freighter Friday" photo from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District. This image from Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., shows the Mesabi Miner entering the Poe Lock as the Cuyahoga exits the MacArthur Lock. (A note to selves on visiting the U.S. Army Corps Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in Duluth: Masks are now required in the building.)
Photo & graphic credits: Port of Thunder Bay; International Lake Superior Board of Control; Lake Superior Railroad Museum; Courtesy John DeBeck; U.S. Army Corps Detroit District