Aug. 14—SUPERIOR — A grassy space on Barker’s Island could one day serve as a memorial to the Edmund Fitzgerald.
A new group called Friends of the Fitz is seeking to place a Wisconsin historical marker there in memory of the ore boat, which sank Nov. 9, 1975, with a crew of 29 on Lake Superior.
Superior was the last port of call for the Fitzgerald. The freighter’s final journey began at the Allouez ore docks. Loaded with over 26,000 long tons of taconite pellets, it left through the Superior Entry at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 9 and sank 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan, the night of Nov. 10. The last radio contact was at 7:10 p.m.
“I just think that those people who were loading that taconite on that boat are the last people who saw them,” said local historian Teddie Meronek. “And I think that their last connection on Earth is Superior, Wisconsin, and we haven’t done anything.”
The idea to put a marker in Superior to honor the Fitzgerald was launched this spring when Meronek, a retired librarian, was researching with Briana Fiandt, curator of collections for the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center.
“We were just talking and it just popped out of our mouths at the same time,” Meronek said.
They founded the Friends of the Fitz group with Kathy Laakso of Time Arc Theatre and Superior City Councilor Jenny Van Sickle. Their goal is to put the marker up in time for the 50th anniversary of the ship’s sinking in November 2025.
“I would love to have a permanent space for families that are connected to the shipping industry, a place for them to come sit and remember,” Van Sickle said.
The cost to put up a historical marker is $7,000-$8,000, group members said. The Douglas County Historical Society has stepped up to serve as the fiscal agent for the project. Van Sickle said the city could provide in-house help to place the marker.
The group has worked with the city’s Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department to select the site on Barker’s Island for the marker. It would join the
12 current Wisconsin historical markers in Douglas County.
The docks where the Fitz took on her last load can be seen from the spot where the marker would be placed, across from the boat launch parking lot on Barker’s Island.
The loss of the freighter left a lasting impression on people who watched the news of the tragedy unfold, the group members said.
“There are many people that remember this happening. People remember when they heard this,” Van Sickle said.
Some recall television newsman Dennis Anderson cutting in with updates on the Fitzgerald.
“I remember sitting at my kitchen table, looking out the window at the nasty weather, listening to the news,” Laakso said.
Superior is a town with a long history of shipping.
“It’s hard, I think, to find people that don’t have a connection to the Great Lakes, and everybody in Superior has a connection to the Fitz,” Van Sickle said.
The lost crew of 29 included two men from Superior, two from Ashland, and men from Washburn, Iron River, Duluth and Silver Bay.
“There have been a lot of shipwrecks in Lake Superior, but this is the one people remember,” Meronek said.
The
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Michigan
tolls the Fitzgerald’s bell every year.
Split Rock Lighthouse lights its beacon every Nov. 10
to commemorate the sinking of the Fitzgerald and all other vessels lost on the Great Lakes.
“We are involved and we remember this mystery, too,” Van Sickle said. “You know, we don’t want this to go away. The people that grew up here have a connection to the Fitz, too. And we’re gonna create a space where they can do that.”
The friends group is focused on more than a marker. They envision 2025 as the “Year of the Fitz,” with events and activities marking the 50th anniversary of the vessel’s final journey.
“Whether it’s a dish at your restaurant or a book club or art or a logo contest. In all the ways this community is active, there’s a way to incorporate the Fitz,” Van Sickle said. “So we’re hoping that people will be creative and remember the Fitz in their own way. It doesn’t have to be through us or anything like that. This is a community effort, and this will be built with community donations.”
* Donations for the marker can be sent to the Douglas County Historical Society.
* The text on the marker would be limited to roughly 700 spaces, not enough to list the names of the crew and the ore boat’s story. Friends of the Fitz members are interested in working with local students or organizations to compile a website where more information on the Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew can be shared with visitors.
* The group is interested in gathering recollections from local residents and families about their memories of the Fitzgerald, its crew members and the night the vessel sank.
For more info or to join the group, email
or
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