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Minnesota News
Estelle Timar-Wilcox

Split Rock Lighthouse hosts annual Edmund Fitzgerald memorial ceremony

Split Rock Lighthouse
The Split Rock Lighthouse beacon, located along the Lake Superior shore near Beaver Bay, Minn., is lit at dusk on Nov. 10, 2010, to recognize the anniversary of the sinking of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald. The Fitzgerald and its crew of 29 were lost in a Lake Superior storm on Nov. 10, 1975.
Andrew Krueger | MPR News 2010

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As dusk settles along the North Shore late Friday afternoon, a crowd of several hundred people is expected to gather at Split Rock Lighthouse to mark the 48th anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The memorial ceremony and beacon-lighting is held each Nov. 10 to remember the 29 men who died when the Fitzgerald sank in a Lake Superior storm on Nov. 10, 1975.

The ship would have passed several miles offshore from Split Rock after leaving Superior, Wis., on its last voyage.

The loss of the ship and crew was memorialized by singer Gordon Lightfoot — who died earlier this year — in a now-iconic song. Earlier this year, Split Rock honored Lightfoot’s memory by lighting the beacon in his honor.

Friday’s ceremony will begin at the lighthouse at about 4:30 p.m. The name of each member of the Fitzgerald’s crew will be read aloud as a bell rings 29 times.

Lighthouse staff will then ring the bell once more — a 30th time — to remember all lost mariners. Organizers said the ceremony provides “a time to reflect on the memory of all lives lost on the Great Lakes.”

Edmund Fitzgerald
The Edmund Fitzgerald in the St. Marys River near Nine Mile Point, circa 1975.
Courtesy of Robert Campbell

“It is a somber event. It’s a memorial service, essentially, and it is very unique in this sense,” said Hayes Scriven, site manager at Split Rock Lighthouse. “Every time I’ve been a part of this it’s been an emotional thing.”

After the ceremony, the Split Rock lighthouse beacon will be lit, and people in attendance will be able to tour the lighthouse until 6 p.m.

Scriven says he’s expecting about 500 people at the ceremony. U.S. Coast Guard members from Duluth will be there to talk about safety on Lake Superior. Organizers say anyone planning to attend should bring a flashlight or headlamp, and dress for the weather.

For people who can’t make it to the ceremony, a livestream is planned on the Split Rock Lighthouse Facebook page and the Minnesota Historical Society YouTube channel.