Another wonderful day in Michigan. Temps are in high 70s, and it’s sunny. In 2 days, though, we’ll be cold and dodging rain drops. The leaves are starting to change colors. Let’s see what we can see.
While staying in this eastern part of the UP, we’re at Muskallonge Lake State Park about 30 minutes from Newberry, the closest town, where we had to go for WiFi at McDonalds and grocery shopping.
We went to Whitefish Point today– the most eastern point on the Upper Peninsula on Lake Superior. Abraham Lincoln mandated a lighthouse there in 1861 because of all the ship wrecks.
Until radar was added to ships, they tended to run into each other in the heavy fog. The museum of the shipwrecks here at Whitefish Point mentioned that 3100 ships traveled along the coast during the years. As they were going east toward the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, the waterway narrowed so they ran into each other more often. Now only about 200 ships are in the Great Lakes. They are further out in shipping lanes and staying out of each other’s way because of radar.
The lighthouse has a much different design because of the heavy winds and rain from winter storms.
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in this area in 1975, and Canadian divers were able to pull up the ship’s bell. It is now housed in the museum.
The Coast Guard had a significant presence in the area because of all the wrecks, so lots of information is available on what they did.
