History Articles

Articles specific to natural, park, local, Traditional Knowledge and cultural history.

On the fringes of history: the storm that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald almost claimed another boat here in the Apostle Islands

On the fringes of history: the storm that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald almost claimed another boat here in the Apostle Islands

Editor’s Note: As the Edmund Fitzgerald was hurtling towards its fate on November 10, 1975, a crew of commercial fishermen aboard the Jean Maur B here in the Apostle Islands had their own battle with the famous storm, and miles to go before they could hope for safety. Here, in his own words, is the story from crewman and historian Bob Nelson.On November 10, 1975, the mighty SS EDMUND FITZGERALD descended and imploded into the bottom of Lake Superior, near Whitefish Point, Michigan. All 29 seamen perished on that fateful day. My real-life commercial fishing experience on Lake Superior that...

A President’s Day message from Friends of the Apostle Islands

A President’s Day message from Friends of the Apostle Islands

Presidents of both parties have long played a major role in the Apostle Islands. Republican Calvin Coolidge visited the islands in 1928, along with First Lady Grace Coolidge and their son John. The presidential family toured the islands on the Madeline Island yacht the Nellwood stopping on Devils Island for a tour of the lighthouse (he even signed the guest register), and to enjoy a meal of locally caught and prepared lake trout. To this day, Coolidge remains the only sitting U.S. president to actually set foot in the Apostle Islands.Democrat John F. Kennedy flew over the islands on...

20 years of helping people to help the park: Friends celebrates million dollar milestone

20 years of helping people to help the park: Friends celebrates million dollar milestone

The year was 2004. Swimmer Michael Phelps won his first gold medals in the Athens Olympics. Martha Stewart went to prison for insider trading. Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook in his Harvard dorm room. The Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years. And NASA's Spirit rover landed on Mars. 2004 was also the year a small group of visionary leaders founded Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to support the park we love. And fittingly, it was the year when the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness was established on the islands to honor the Wisconsin Senator's vital role in...

Raspberry Island birds of yesterday and today

Raspberry Island birds of yesterday and today

When you visit the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and Friends board member Neil Howk is your guide, you're in for a treat. As a retired park ranger specializing in telling the stories of the islands, Neil has a special way of immersing park visitors in the rich history and natural beauty in the park. This summer, Neil volunteered at the Raspberry Island light, where he paid special attention to the bird populations - many of which have been on the island for more than a century. I spent nine days in early August on Raspberry Island as a volunteer-in-park leading tours of the historic...

The many berries of Raspberry Island

The many berries of Raspberry Island

When you visit the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and Friends board member Neil Howk is your guide, you're in for a treat. As a retired park ranger specializing in telling the stories of the islands, Neil has a special way of immersing park visitors in the rich history and natural beauty in the park. This summer, Neil volunteered at the Raspberry Island light and took time to take stock of the many berry populations on the island, as well as what's changed since the days of lighthouse keeper Francis Jacker in the late 1800s. The Ojibwe name Miskominikaani-minis refers to the “island of...

The fungus art of Raspberry Island keeper Francis Jacker

The fungus art of Raspberry Island keeper Francis Jacker

When you visit the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and Friends board member Neil Howk is your guide, you're in for a treat. As a retired park ranger specializing in telling the stories of the islands, Neil has a special way of immersing park visitors in the rich history and natural beauty in the park. This summer, Neil volunteered at the Raspberry Island light, where in the late 1800s, keeper Francis Jacker exercised his artistic talents in a most unusual way. And where park visitors got the chance to do the same.Francis Jacker (pronounced Yacker), the lighthouse keeper at Raspberry...

Life at Raspberry Island Light: 2024 vs. 1924

Life at Raspberry Island Light: 2024 vs. 1924

When you visit the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and Friends board member Neil Howk is your guide, you're in for a treat. As a retired park ranger specializing in telling the stories of the islands, Neil has a special way of immersing park visitors in the rich history and natural beauty in the park. This summer, Neil volunteered at the Raspberry Island light. During the coming weeks, we'll share some of Neil's experiences, observations and interactions with park visitors. We'll start with a tour of both sides of the lighthouse and a look at what National Park Service volunteers do while...

NPS craftsman Dave Brunsvold hangs up his tool belt

NPS craftsman Dave Brunsvold hangs up his tool belt

The rich history of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore lives on through the historic buildings and artifacts you'll discover throughout the park. The man you are about to meet is one of the talented craftspeople dedicated to restoring, preserving and presenting these treasures to teach and inspire generations of park visitors. Dave Brunsvold devoted 23 years to that effort, before transitioning into retirement on October 19, 2023. Friends board member Neil Howk sat down Dave, saying it's important to give him a tiny bit of the recognition he deserves for the marvelous work that he...

Marigolds: A simple tribute to a different era in the Apostle Islands

Marigolds: A simple tribute to a different era in the Apostle Islands

If you are ever lucky enough to be invited to sit on the deck at photographer Mark Weller’s home, you may notice a small planting of marigolds. Flowers on a deck are nothing unusual and you may not give the potted flowers a second thought. But look again. These flowers have more than beautiful blossoms: they have a story.“I am a lighthouse man,” Mark Weller says. “Over the past decade, I and a team of talented photographers have traveled to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to photograph the Milky Way behind some of the park’s famous lighthouses. We sell the images to support the...

Restoration of historic dock completed at Little Sand Bay

Restoration of historic dock completed at Little Sand Bay

The fabled gales of November couldn't stop reconstruction of the historic Hokenson Brothers Fishery dock at Little Sand Bay in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Battered by storms for decades, the dock and related buildings are listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places and are the focus of a $1.4 million preservation and restoration effort by the National Park Service.This summer, construction crews from Pearl Beach Construction Company of Michigan used heavy equipment and a barge to rebuild the dock as historically accurately as possible, using wooden pilings and...