The Split Rock Beacon for The Edmund Fitzgerald

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The Split Rock beacon for the Edmund Fitzgerald is a Minnesota story with a documented core at Split Rock Lighthouse, Lake County. The sources are named below.

HistoryKind of story
2Named sources
Duluth and North ShoreRegion
Nov 1Checked, 2026

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The Split Rock Beacon for The Edmund Fitzgerald

People say that once a year, on November 10, the old beacon at Split Rock burns again after dark. It is lit for the 29 crew of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald, lost on Lake Superior in 1975, and for everyone else the lake has taken. Visitors gather in the cold while a ship's bell tolls and each name is read aloud.

What The Record Shows

The Minnesota Historical Society says the Annual Memorial Beacon Lighting at Split Rock honors the Edmund Fitzgerald's crew and everyone lost on Lake Superior. Former site manager Lee Radzak started it, and the society's 2025 page says that was about 40 years ago. The Fitzgerald sank in 1975 with 29 crew, and the 50th anniversary ceremony was held November 10, 2025. At the ceremony the lighthouse closes briefly, a naval hymn is performed, the names of the 29 crew are read aloud as a ship's bell tolls, and then the beacon is lit. The tower reopens afterward. We did not find an MNHS page that states which year the first lighting took place, so the start date is not given here. Our reading of the pages does not say where the Fitzgerald loaded its cargo, so we make no Minnesota loading claim.

Sources: Edmund Fitzgerald 50th Anniversary Commemoration (Minnesota Historical Society); Split Rock Lighthouse Edmund Fitzgerald 50th anniversary commemoration (MNHS news release).

A Note

This is a memorial. Tickets for the ceremony may be needed, so check the Minnesota Historical Society page for the current year. Not confirmed: the year the beacon was first lit for the ship.

Its home: Split Rock Lighthouse (Minnesota Historical Society). Official page.

On this site: Historic Sites, Timeline, Duluth and North Shore Events.

Looked for and Not Found

The first lighting year on a Minnesota Historical Society page

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the story of The Split Rock beacon for the Edmund Fitzgerald true?

The Minnesota Historical Society says the Annual Memorial Beacon Lighting at Split Rock honors the Edmund Fitzgerald's crew and everyone lost on Lake Superior.

Is this a legend?

It is a story with a documented core. The facts are listed on this page with their sources.

Where do these facts come from?

From the named sources listed on this page: Edmund Fitzgerald 50th Anniversary Commemoration (Minnesota Historical Society); Split Rock Lighthouse Edmund Fitzgerald 50th anniversary commemoration (MNHS news release).

Sources

Read on November 1, 2026. Stories are for fun; the facts come from these sources. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? tell us.

Cite this page: It's Minnesota, “The Split Rock Beacon for The Edmund Fitzgerald”, itsminnesota.com/legends/edmund-fitzgerald-beacon-lighting/ (updated 2026-11-01). By the It's Minnesota editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.