The Edmund Fitzgerald: A True Story about Mortality and Mother Nature.

Lake Michicago, on a cold November morning.

I once had a friend from another country who looked upon Lake Michigan, and said "That's not a Lake, it's a Sea!". 

Of course, she was right! People of the Great Lakes region already know that. Everyone from Minnesota to Montreal knows that. 

We love our fresh-water Seas, and most of the time, those Seas love us back. 

From beaches on the metropolitan skylines of Toronto and Chicago, to fishing off of Little Bailey's Harbor on the finger-tip of Wisconsin, the Lakes are a gift from Mother Nature to us. 

From fishing, casual boating, swimming, and importantly transportation, the Lakes bring us not only joy, but wealth. The Midwestern United States, and it's neighbors in Canada, would not have been able to build the great industrial society we live in today if it were not for the Lakes. Freighters from all corners of the Midwest, forged by the best ship-builders, and manned by the toughest of Men, moved Taconite (commonly known as iron ore), grains, and other raw materials across the Lakes commercially. And they still do this for us today. Regardless of where you live in the world, it's very possible that you've eaten bread sourced from grain that once traveled on a Great Lakes freighter, or used a tool or item made with steel forged from the Taconite that those freighters shipped. 

Taconite documented with other samples of materials shipped on The Great Lakes

Even, all-the-way in Hamburg, Germany, they have an exhibit commemorating the famous ships and crews of the Great Lakes at the International Maritime Museum.  

Models of Great Lakes ships in Hamburg

But, no matter how much ingenuity and technology we humble humans invest into our endeavors, Mother Nature reminds us that it can all be gone in an instant. In Ohio, we have tornadoes that can rip though a small town in seconds. Along the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys, rivers can flood and destroy entire communities. In California, an earthquake can hit at any time and create unimaginable terror an chaos.      

And on a windy November evening in 1975, a similar natural disaster struck the SS Edmund Fitzgerald as it was on a routine journey to move Taconite from from a supplier in Superior, Wisconsin to Detroit and, then to Cleveland. 

In a cold windstorm, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in heavy waves along with all 29 Men on her crew. 

The story was big at the time. In 1975, we had modern Radar, and ways to predict weather. Not only that, no one expected for anything terrible to happen to such a big vessel on such a small fresh-water Lake.

Even, the Edmund Fitzgerald itself was a bit of a local celebrity. It was the largest ship on the Great Lakes when it launched, and people would bring their kids to the ports of Duluth and Superior just to see giant ships like her enter and exist. 

The late Captain of the Fitzgerald, Ernest M. McSorley, was known for delighting the small crowds by honking the ship's horn, and waving a friendly "Ahoy!" to everyone who stopped to watch the great ship pull into port. 

There's a famous song about what happened after that Gargantuan, modern, metal-hauling ship set sail for the last time. Many of us remember the lyrics by heart... 

But, Mother Nature and the Great Lakes humbled all of our ingenuity and technology. 

The winds of Lake Superior created waves strong enough to flood and sink that ship. As Gordon Lightfoot sang in his famous song, "The Gales of November Came Early." And the The Edmund Fitzgerald, and her 29-man crew were doomed. 

I was not alive to remember the actual ship's sinking. 

I was born more than a decade later. But, even I knew about that horrible disaster. To this day, it lives on in memory and song. 

To me, the story of the Edmond Fitzgerald is a story about both the labor and the hard-work that Men do, and the risks they take each day when they go to work. 

It is also a story about the fury of Mother Nature. 

The 29 men on that ship may not have known it, but they risked life and limb everyday, for nothing but a humble wage... just enough to feed the family, and keep a house over their head. If they were feeling sick or depressed, they didn't call-off work, they boarded the ship just the same. Because, at that time, that was what was expected of them. 

But, no one expected them to drown in the freezing ice-cold seas of Lake Superior. No one expected that Wives, Sons, and Daughters would have to hear from the US Coast Guard that their loved-one is not only, not coming home, but has perished in a terrible storm. 

That portion of the story speaks of not only the Lakers and Sailors, but also the truck drivers, machine workers, soldiers, and constructions workers, etc. who on every continent, and take risks every day to bring home a tiny, rice-grain, fraction, of what Millionaires and Billionaires hoard for themselves every minute. At any point, at anytime, a work accident can happen, and a life could be erased from this earth- at no fault of the worker. 

One day you're here, the next day you're gone.  

The story of Mother Nature is much simpler. AT BEST, we humble humans can prepare for or avoid Mother Nature. But we cannot defeat her. 

When the winds blow, and the rivers rise, it's best to just get out of her way. We have a beautiful planet, with Great fresh water-Lakes, and trees, and animals... but it's important to realize that a hurricane, tornado, earthquake or cold November storm is always on the horizon. We need educated, trained, professionals to keep us safe. And, to help navigate us safely into port. But even the most experienced navigator knows, Mother Nature can strike at any time.   

Captain Paul Berger and Relief Captain Vince Hagman command a ship similar to the Edmond Fitzgerald (Photo credit to GreatLakesNow.org).

Around this time of year, I listen to Gordon Lightfoot's famous song about the Edmond Fitzgerald. And, it's both beautiful and sad. 

It's sometimes important to reflect on sad things. 

I read the Diary of Anne Frank, and it was a really sad story, but also endearing. I wasn't only touched by her death, but also her life! And she was brave to document everything that happened to her family during a terrible time (not simply the horrors, but also the little happy moments!) It made me appreciate life a little bit more. I suppose it's why I hum Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" at this time of year. 

It's not just a tragedy, but a true story about 29 good, talented, hard-working men, that made an honest day's wage, and also made little kids happy when they sounded their great ship's horn in little Lake towns like Cleveland, Conneaut, and Erie.

There is not one single memorial or fund to honor the SS Endumd Fitzgerald and her crew. But if you're moved enough to look into the story, and learn about the ship and it's crew, visit WashburnHeritage.org.    

A full list of the crew can be found here.