It’s been a pretty amazing week in the Upper Peninsula. after leaving Whitefish Point on Monday Kim and I popped on over to Crisp Point. If you’ve never been to Crisp Point I highly recommend you put it on your bucket list. Crisp is one of the most remote, land-based lighthouses on the Great Lakes. Once a large Life-Saving Station and Lighthouse location, old Lake Superior took it’s toll on the buildings. When we had first visited Crisp Point about 10 years ago, all that was left was the Light tower and the Crisp Point Lighthouse Historical Society had recently repaired what was left of the entrance. Today the CPLHS has built replicas of some of the original USLSS station buildings and has plans to do more, including the ongoing erosion control tasks that keep Lake Superior at bay if only for a bit longer.
While I was there I met a lady who was currently reading Sky Pilot of the Great Lakes. It was a chance occurrence but a welcome one. I talked with her for a while and we had our picture taken together. I then walked the beach for a bit imagining Rev. Law’s ship ‘Dream’ anchored just off shore while he held a requested service for the fine folks stationed at Crisp, a service that was carried via telephone lines to the other four stations along Superior’s “Shipwreck Coast”.
On Tuesday is was time to start heading toward the Keweenaw Peninsula. On the way I decided to pay a surprise visit to my publisher’s office near Gwinn, MI. This was the first time I actually met face-to-face with the people I’ve been working with for the last couple years. I got a tour of the facility and saw stacks of books ready to ship. Of course, I had to take a few photos of the Sky Pilot of the Great Lakes section.
On Thursday I met up with Barb K. of the Keweenaw Historical Society and she gave Kim and I a boat ride up the Portage Canal to see the Coast Guard Station and Entry Light. Along the way we saw many eagles and we discussed the history of the area. The weather was nice and the company was good. Overall it was a very fun and rewarding trip. Later in the day we stopped by Copper World in Calumet Michigan and talked with the owners. They had asked that I stop in and sign the copies of Sky Pilot of the Great Lakes they had in stock. So if you’re in the area and looking for a signed copy of the book, Copper World has some.
Today we are headed out to Baraga to attend the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Pow-Wow and visit with some family in the area. I plan to stop by the Sand Point Light to take a look at the restoration efforts as I hear they have made some good progress.
Saturday is the Presentation and Book Signing in Eagle Harbor sponsored by the Keweenaw Historical Society. The event starts at the Life-Saving Museum Open House event and I’m scheduled to sign books from Noon-2pm. At 3pm I will be giving a presentation on the book at the Eagle Harbor Community Center followed by another round of book signings. If you’re in the area, please stop by and say hello!
John
His passion for the Great Lakes and its history grew from the stories handed down through both sides of his family about Rev. Law’s travels and relatives lost in the sinking of the S.S. Carl D. Bradley.
He currently resides with his wife, Kimberly, in Brooklyn, MI.
Latest posts by John (see all)
- New Book – Birds and Beacons of Michigan - December 1, 2019
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