On November 10, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in a storm on Lake Superior, only 17 miles away from Whitefish Bay. 29 lives were lost. If you ever get the chance, next time you're in the eastern U.P., go visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. That's where the ship's bell is on display. Then you can walk out on the beach and imagine what it was like that night, wrestling a ship loaded with 26,000 tons of iron ore, in 70 MPH winds, with 20 foot waves on Lake Superior. It's a sobering thought, even on a sunny summer day.

This Tuesday will mark the 40th anniversary of the sinking. According to MLive.com, there are several events planned to mark the occasion, including a discussion in the main library at Michigan State. That panel will also serve to highlight the current display about Great Lakes shipping, going on now at the MSU Museum.

And, if you're up near Lake Superior State University, in Sault Ste Marie, on Monday, check out the performance by "Whispers of the North", which is a Gordon Lightfoot tribute band. Which shows you just how big a song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" was, and still is.

 

Banana Don and Stephanie McCoy amuse and thrill you every weekday morning from 5:30 –10AM on the radio at 100.7 WITL.
Banana Don can be reached via email at don.jefferson@townsquaremedia.com and on Twitter at @WITLBananaDon and @WITLFM. Also, Facebook friend Banana Don and Stephanie at Facebook.com/BananaStephanie and Facebook.com/WITLFM.

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