Gitche Gumee -The Superior Lake

Did you have to read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Song of Hiawatha" in school? I not only read it, I memorized a lot of it. Particularly the part that starts with "By the shores of Gitchee Gumee, By the Shining Big Sea Water."

The story Longfellow relates is primarily based not on the Iroquois legend of Hiawatha, but rather on the Chippewa legend of Nanabozho, a rabbit spirit who was the son of the west wind and raised by his grandmother. Longfellow stated in his notes that the scene of the poem is along the southern shore of Lake Superior in the area of Pictured Rocks. However, I can easily imagine it being on the shores farther north where I grew up.

"Gitche Gumee" is the name Longfellow gave for the "Big Sea Water." More study of the different dialects of Ojibway nations that live in the area, reveal different spellings, such as gichi-gami, gitchi-gami or kitchi-gami . However it is spelled, it means the great lake or big water.

The first French explorers named it Le Lac Superieur, translating into the Upper or Higher Lake, meaning it lies above the other Great Lakes. The English took over the region after the French and Indian War and anglicized the name to Superior. It is a fitting name, for it is truly a superior lake.

Lake Superior Magazine's Kitchi-Gami Almanac

Image of Hiawatha is in the public domain as its copyright has expired.

As a child, I used to lay snug in my bed, listening to the sound of the lighthouse and ore ship foghorns and the ringing of the harbor bell buoy during the storms that would hit Lake Superior in the fall. I really believed there was a little "boy" sitting on a rock near the mouth of Copper Harbor, ringing his bell to warn ships away from the rocks. I felt sorry for him, knowing how cold the water is at that time of the year.

Lake Superior's ever changing moods only deepen my love for her. As a brooding teenager, it seemed as though the lake would mirror my own fluctuating moods. When feeling content and serene, I would peer through the crystal clear, calm waters to see the stones lying many feet below the surface. On other days, feeling sad or angry, the lake would capture my surly mood with waves crashing upon the rugged rocks.

I took a picture of my "boy" as we passed it during a boat ride on a trip to Copper Harbor in 2007. I guess the boy has grown up and moved away, for it is empty now.

Image copyright CE Wallace 2007

In the fall you begin to feel the change in the mood of the lake. The waves grow higher, the ships watch their radar carefully, the lighthouses sound their foghorns. It is the season of the "gales of November," although they can start as early as October. These strong winds are the cause of most of the 350 shipwrecks that have been recorded on the lake. The first European style ship to be lost to these storms was ironically named the "Invincible." She went aground on November 16, 1816, but miraculously none of her crew was lost.

.....mariners would do well to heed Superior's warning...vessels with names suggesting arrogance are often served up a piece of humble pie".
Jim Spurr
Volunteer, Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society

November 10, 1975 is the date of the most famous of Lake Superior's shipwrecks. A victim of one of those "gales of November." the Edmund Fitzgerald sank 17 miles from the entrance of Whitefish Bay. Gordon Lightfoot memorialized the tragedy in his song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

There have been a lot of theories about why she sank, but the mystery still remains. When the wreckage was found lying in 530 feet of water, the ship had broken in two. 29 sailors lost their lives that night and their bodies remain entombed with the ship. The bell of the ship was retrieved and a replica engraved with the names of those lost was put in its place.

Image above is in the public domain because it contains materials that originally came from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

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This is Porter's Island which forms part of the harbor of Copper Harbor, MI

A lens about Lake Superior would not be complete without discussing Isle Royale. This is true for two reasons. One, it is the biggest island in Lake Superior, 45 miles long and 9 miles wide. It lies within 15 miles from Canada and Minnesota, and 56 miles from the Michigan shore. Yet, due a variety of reasons, the island belongs to Michigan.

The second reason it is important is because my mother grew up on that island. Before it became a National Park in 1940, it was populated by a variety of people, from fur traders to copper miners, to commercial fishermen. My grandfather emmigrated from Sweden and was one of the commercial fishermen who made their home on the island.

The family had their fishery and home in Chippewa Harbor. What is unusual about my family is that they often spent winters on the island, although at times they returned to their home in Minnesota. Since the school district of Michigan was required to provide schooling, they had their own schoolteacher. One of them, Dorothy Simonsen, wrote of her adventure in "Diary of an Isle Royale Schooteacher."

I grew up hearing stories about life on Isle Royale and soon realized that I could boast of being descended from some hardy souls. I, have only been to Isle Royale twice, once as a baby, and once when a childhood friend and I convinced the captain of the Isle Royale Queen to give a us a free ride. We got to stay for four hours that day, but I promised myself I would be back. That promise has yet to be fulfilled, but it is definitely on my "bucket list."

The photo is of my grandmother, Lucy Johnson, and the youngest child, my aunt Nancy. In the background you can see the fishhouse and boat on Chippewa Harbor. (from the Violet L. Miller collection)

There are several fun ways to get to the island. One is by seaplane. There are two ferries that leave from Grand Portage, MN, one from Houghton MI and one from Copper Harbor MI. Some people enjoy kayaking there from the Minnesota shore or have a private boat.

The one I am most familiar with is the Isle Royale Queen which departs daily from Copper Harbor, MI. Watching the arrival of the Queen to Copper Harbor each evening has become a tradition. As a child, I listened for the traditional boat horn and the answering horn from Johnson's Restaurant (now known as the Harbor Haus restaurant.) We would hop on our bikes and head toward the dock where we enjoyed watching the tourists disembark from their trip, which could have been one day, or a week. It was also the signal that my mother established that it was time to go home. At that time the Queen returned at 8 pm. Now with a faster boat, they come back at 6 pm, which would have played havoc with my playtime.

The one trip to Isle Royale I remember was on the Isle Royale Queen. It was exhilarating to actually be out on the big lake, instead of watching from the shore. I've also taken the Sunset Cruise offered in the evening and have seen a big freighter up close and personal, and the Gull Rock lighthouse.

Photo is of the Isle Royale Queen IV, leaving Copper Harbor. Courtesy of Isle Royale Queen

My mother wrote her own description of traveling on Lake Superior and had it published in the Lake Superior Magazine. Here is an excerpt.

"I remember one fall trip when the whitecapped waves and wind were so strong that the ship rolled from side to side. Passengers trying to play cards in the salon slid back and forth across the room with each roll. Another autumn trip, the lake was smooth as glass and the America went aground near Wright Island. I can still see my dad standing in the lifeboat holding his arms up to catch children that were tossed down to him. I don't remember how the women got into the lifeboat, but I'm sure they weren't tossed like we were."

Have I mentioned that Lake Superior is the coldest of the great lakes? It's average temperature about 40 °F (4.4 °C). In the summer it averages 55 degrees. Can you go swimming in that? Ya betcha! At least when you are young and foolish.

Having grown up in the tourist town of Copper Harbor, my friends and I delighted in shocking the tourists by taking running leaps off of the boat docks, while they were just dabbing their toes in the water. The initial shock took your breath away, but it was possible to get used to it (or maybe we were just numb). On my recent trips to the area, I was just like a tourist.....wading in the water but wouldn't jump in for anything.

Photo is of a girl jumping off a cliff at Black Rocks at Presque Isle in Marquette, MI. This is a favorite activity of students at Northern Michigan University, but not one I ever tried. For more information about this incredible jump read Jump off a Cliff (and into Lake Superior) at Black Rocks! Photo courtesy of Jesse Land.

Research indicates that, just like other areas of the globe, Lake Superior is warming up. A news article on Minnesota Public Radio Lake Superior reaches record temp by Bob Kelleher, Minnesota Public Radio, August 12, 2010, states:

"On Tuesday, the waters atop Lake Superior reached the highest temperature ever recorded. The lake-wide average surface temperature hit 68.3 degrees. The average for Aug. 10 is just 55 degrees."

The reason for this warming trend is more complex than just global warming, but experts do report a gradual increase in water temperatures over the past 30 years. It is great for tourism, but the effect on different species of fish is yet to be determined.

In case you are wondering, that child is actually swimming in Lake Superior. Photo courtesy of Pasty.com

SuperiorState Designs on Zazzle

Ice Water
Water Bottle
Ice Water
T-Shirt
Gitche Gumee
Mug
Ice Water
Grocery Bag
Gitche Gumee
T-Shirt
Ice Water
T-Shirt

There is so much to see and do around and on Lake Superior, that I can only mention a few here. Many people enjoy taking the Lake Superior Circle Tour. It is on my itinerary as well. I have never been to the Canadian side of Lake Superior, which has a different view of the same beautiful lake.

At Thunder Bay, Ontario, you can see the Sleeping Giant, which is a land formation in the front of the Bay which resembles a sleeping body of a giant. Farther east you can spend days exploring the Lake Superior Provincial Park. I look forward to seeing it all.

Sleeping Giant
Norman R. Brown
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