Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial at Split Rock Lighthouse Marks 49 Years Since the Tragedy

TWO HARBORS, Minn. — 49 years ago on Sunday the Edmund Fitzgerald began its final voyage on Lake Superior. 29 people lost their lives.

The Split Rock Lighthouse hosting their yearly memorial for the tragedy. They had food, guided tours and a beacon lighting. They hope to bring life back to the stories of the sailors lost on that fateful day.

“When you think about it, you know, we see these ships out on the lake every day, and they’re massive, and you think that you know, nothing can ever happen to them, and for one to go down like it did 49 years ago. It’s a major thing, and I think it humanizes it for people, makes it real, puts it in perspective that those are working boats that there’s real people on those boats, and that we need to respect the lake and honor what the lake is and what it offers us, and doing this event like this, I think helps connect people to that,” said Hayes Scriven, Site Manager at the Split Rock Lighthouse.

This event not only highlights those lost on the Fitzgerald. They also use this day to remember all of the lives lost on the great lakes throughout the years.

“We’re just doing this because we know it’s a recent event in history, and we want to honor and remember the crew, and then also just raise awareness of how dangerous Lake Superior can actually be,” said Scriven. “You know, history is still happening, and we can learn from the mistakes of our past, and because the Fitz sank, the lakes are a lot safer now, with the coast guard inspections that they do, and just to keep bringing that back every year is super important, and just brings community together and shows those people that lost their loved ones that they’re not alone in this, there’s a lot of people out there to support them.”

you can read more about the story behind the Edmund Fitzgerald on the Minnesota Historical Society’s website.