Whitefish Point

On Friday I stopped for lunch at Paradise.  This town near the Superior shore has long claimed to offer the best pasties in the Upper Peninsula.  I tested this boast at a restaurant chosen at random and ("Yumm!") was not disappointed.  For the uninitiated, a pasty is a sealed pastry envelope filled with ground meat, carrots, onions, potatoes, and rutabagas.  Imported to the U.S. by Welsh miners, it made a convenient lunch for those working underground in Michigan's copper mines.  The pasty remains a Yooper delicacy.

A fine lunch indeed!

(By the way, the term Yooper refers to 1) inhabitants of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and 2) the dialect of English spoken by Yoopers, which reflects strong Finnish and French-Canadian ethnic influence.  Interesting, eh?)

After lunch I drove out to Whitefish Point Light Station, which also includes the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.  This facility sits at the western end of Whitefish Bay, and is one of the best known and most heavily visited lighthouses on the Lake Superior shore.  Situated at the southeastern end of the lake, it is a crucial turning point for vessels moving through Lake Superior.  Moreover, the 80 miles of shoreline between here and Munising, to the east, is literally a graveyard of ships.  For that reason I'll treat the light and museum in separate posts.

The main sign is handsomely done.

Michigan's UP was enjoying uncommonly warm weather
for "color season."  Usually it's freezing!

The first light at Whitefish Point was built in 1849 and apparently resembled the Old (1840) Lighthouse at Presque Isle.  Winslow and Lewis lamps and reflectors provided the original illumination.  These were replaced in 1857 with a Third Order Fresnel Lens.  The current tower — a steel lattice design 76 feet high — was built in 1861.  The open structure proved more resilient in the face of Superior's legendary winds.  This light's focal plane is 80 feet above the water, and its Fresnel Lens was visible at a distance of 24 miles.  Automated in 1971, the light has been equipped since 2011 with a LED beacon visible up to 15 miles.

After climbing the Point Iroquois tower that morning, I decided to forego the pleasure of a climb here.  Lots of people were going up and down, and the catwalk was more crowded than I would find comfortable.  This way there's a good excuse for another visit someday!

The tower was crowded on Friday!

A photo (date unknown) of the Whitefish Point Light Station
from the USCG archives.  The tower is unchanged.

Feet firmly on the ground, I started my visit by checking out the Keeper's House, which was enlarged several times to provide accommodations for the Keeper and two assistants, plus their families.  Furnishings and decoration reflect the turn of the 20th century.  Unlike most lighthouses, this one displays some furniture which was once on-site.  The daughter of one of the keepers remained in the area, took an active role in the light station's restoration, and provided some of the appointments.  In her mid-90s, she happily instructed museum personnel on correct placement of every photo and chamber pot!

I especially liked the living room where an effigy Son listens to the family's gramophone.  In the kitchen Mom rolls out pie crust while dinner simmers on the wood stove.  The nursery is a reminder that lighthouse keeping was a family profession.  Spouses and children were often trained in  proper care and fueling of the light, in case in an emergency they had to fill in for the Keeper.

The Keeper's House living room...

... kitchen...

...and nursery.

As at the New Presque Isle Lighthouse, a sculptured Keeper sits at his desk, making entries in his log.  This figure, and the ones above, are remarkably lifelike.

The Keeper's office is a desk in a corner off the living room.

You imagine this man will turn and greet you!

Whitefish Point Light Station is owned and operated by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. They have done a remarkable job restoring and maintaining this facility, which is still an operating aid to navigation.  From 1923-51 this was also the site for a Lifeboat Rescue Station.  When a ship sent a "Mayday" message, the LRS surfmen would take their surf boat out into the stormy waters and row to the scene.  These young men typically worked as lumberjacks during the winter and were in excellent physical condition.  They had to be in order to row through towering waves to a sinking ship!

The surf boat display — located in the original surf boat house, and featuring a replica of a surf boat built to the Lifeboat Service's specs — is augmented by an articulate staff person ready to share the history of this facility and its heros.

In addition to the surf boat house, Whitefish Point has moved and restored several other original structures. The most recent is another Lifeboat Rescue Service artifact which for years was owned by a fishing company and used for storage of nets and other equipment.  Moved onto the light station "campus" just a few days ago, it will be renovated for use as a theater for the orientation video and other events.

Another Lifeboat Rescue building was moved to the
Light Station a couple days before I visited.

Whitefish Point's gift shop is very well stocked and a
major source of financial support.

Looking west along Whitefish Point.  Lake Superior
appears so inviting, but it's a moody body of water.

I especially like the facility's signage.  It is both visually handsome and appropriately informative.  The Light Station's sign emphasizes the lighthouse tower, while the gift shop sign focuses on the all the vessels which have gone down in Lake Superior's "graveyard of ships."  More on that next. •••