Edmund Fitzgerald

I HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE of attending a book signing sponsored by NWS (National Writers Series) for best-selling author John U. Bacon. He told of his four-year endeavor/adventure researching and writing “The Gales of November—the untold story of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

It was an eye-opening evening; the insights shared through his talk and book (photo above) focused mostly on the lives of the twenty-nine men who worked on the Edmund Fitzgerald. They were particularly revealing, especially to me, who has lived in Michigan for most of my 76 years.

I suppose I’m guilty of not seeing the forest through the trees when it comes to understanding our history and the vital role shipping played in our economic growth and well-being. This is one of my main takeaways from reading the book.

He gave a bird’s-eye view of the massive economic prosperity that came to our Great Lakes region, spearheaded by the shipping industry and its transportation of raw materials on the waterways that helped support the amazing growth and prosperity throughout the Midwest. It was an eye-opener for me. I appreciated his perspective, which has been floating right in my own backyard.

In his early chapters, his story reflects on the remarkable economy that emerged in the 20th century, with the economic boom that came to the region throughout the 1900s. Iron ore, steel, lumber, agricultural grains, automobiles, and armaments depended on the freighters of the Great Lakes. It is a book of facts, figures, and forensic speculations, but what really hits home is the author’s ability to tell the human story around the lives and deaths of the 29 men who went down with the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 11, 1975.

Kudos to John U. Bacon!

This reader/writer highly recommends it.

https://www.amazon.com/Gales-November-Untold-Edmund-Fitzgerald/dp/1324094648

Tidbit: I just found out that my high school honey, Karen Kieppe, who spent summers on the shores of the St. Clair River, told me this week that the captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald would sound his distinctive horn in salute as the mothers and daughters enjoyed the ship’s weekly passing of their cottages in the late 1960s and early 70s. I’m more than certain that they looked pretty good in their bathing suits, and confident that the captain had a pretty good eye even without his binoculars.

This is just my speculation!