The Split Rock Lighthouse on the North Shore hosts its annual SS Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial on Friday.
The yearly gathering remembers the 29 who died in 1975 after a storm sunk the vessel on Lake Superior. The event also honors the history of the 113-year-old structure, which was commissioned after a 1905 storm: “Split Rock is a result of that storm, trying to make the lake safer. When the lighthouse was built and in operation from 1910 to 1969, there were no wrecks in the vicinity, so they knew it proved its point.”
That’s Hayes Scriven, lighthouse site manager. Scriven says guided tours, informational videos, and a ceremonial beacon lighting are all things visitors can expect, as well as new elements exclusive to this year’s ceremony: “This year, we’re going to have the US Coast Guard from the Duluth station up here. They’re going to talk about the connection between the Coast Guard and the lighthouse service. That’s something new we haven’t done in the past.”