Split Rock Lighthouse

One of the 'to do' list while here on the North Shore was to drive back down the scenic route 61 from Grand Marais to Split Rock Lighthouse, about 60 miles south of where we are camping.  The lighthouse is quite unique, the outside color is a beige where most other lighthouses we have seen have been white, red and white, red, or black and white - or some combination.  I don't remember ever seeing a beige lighthouse.

A peak at the lighthouse from the visitor's center

Another 40 miles and we would have been in Duluth!

A freighter out there, and shore of Wisconsin

Lighthouse keeper's homes - all identical, manned from April to November

View from front porch of one of the homes

The lighthouse itself does not guide ships into port but an aid of light and horn that tells mariners that if you can hear the horn (can be heard to 5 miles) or see the beam (11 miles is the range), you are too close to shore - get back into deeper water.  The weird part is within 10 feet of shore the depth of the water drops to 100 feet and then go another 50 feet out and the depth drops to 300 feet.  If you are relying on your compass and depth sounding equipment and you are in a fog or storm where you can't see shore, you would think that you are in safe waters.  That's what happened in 1905.

Quilt! and sewing machine - life is good!!!

Authentic colors - wow. 

Reminds me of when I was growing up - our bathroom looked like this

The crapper (what it was really called) with water
closet overhead for flushing

Cooking breakfast was just getting under way

A Nor'easter started on November 28, 1905 culminating on the 30th when 11 ships went down during that night, 3 right at Split Rock area.  9 men were lost during the storm. The temperature dropped to 13 below, winds sustained at 60 mph, and 30 foot waves pounded the lake.  The poo-bahs who had great interest in mining, shipping, and steel interests lobbied Congress and lighthouse monies were allocated to build lighthouses along the Great Lakes.

Air compressors in that building to run fog horns 

View of home, lighthouse and equipment building (fog horns)

Unique color of brick

Oh, pretty

Notice fog horns on top - would make you go deaf!

Looking north from lighthouse - see white bouy in water below?
That's where the remains of the Madiera rests today, one of 3 wrecked. 

I love nautical charts

In 1969 the Split Rock Lighthouse was decommissioned, moving from a manual lighting of the beacon each night, to electrifying it.  The lighthouse keeper and his 2 assistants were out of a job.  The historical society then took over the buildings and thus today there is a museum which houses the information of the lighthouse, the men who lost their lives, and today the lighthouse has been registered on the National Historical Places list.

This photo is from 1983 - notice height of wave?

Went to top where Fresnel lens is - picture looking back down to ground

An idea where we drove to - started out in Grand Marais to area in black

Pretty, standing guard over Lake Superior.  We were able to tour one of the lighthouse keeper's residence - as I looked around the rooms I felt I was back in my childhood, some of the homes we lived in.  But - I saw quilts and an antique Singer sewing machine.  Life would be good for me living there.

Merganser swam by

From a different view point

Kayakers resting on the beach below us

After walking through the lighthouse, the grounds, etc., we drove to one of the lookouts that you can get a different view of the lighthouse as it sits on a cliff 130 feet above the lake.  Quite impressive.