Paradise, MI

            On the tip of Whitefish Point on the shores of Lake Superior is one of Michigan’s most famous and important lighthouses. Since 1849, Whitefish Point Lighthouse has guided ships through what is known as “the Graveyard of the Great Lakes.”  Whitefish Bay got this nickname because of the 240 shipwrecks in the area. No other area of Lake Superior has as many shipwrecks. Appropriately, the lighthouse and surrounding buildings are home to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. For the museum, there is an admission fee of $14.00 for adults and $10.00 for children to enter the buildings, but it is free to walk the grounds. On my visit, I just walked the grounds as I had other stops to check out on an action-filled day.

The museum is home to the recovered bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald wreck and there is a memorial for the doomed ship as well. The Edmund Fitzgerald sunk 17 miles to the north of Whitefish Point Lighthouse on the night of November 10^th, 1975. Before sinking, the Edmund Fitzgerald asked on the radio if the Whitefish Point Light and radio beacon were working, she couldn’t tell in the storm (both were working that night) Whitefish Point Lighthouse is the oldest active lighthouse on Lake Superior, being automated in 1971. The iconic steel frame was added for support in 1861. All ships sailing on Lake Superior traversing to and from the Soo Locks must sail through Whitefish Bay. At the beach, you will find tree-sized driftwood scattered across the sand.