The Mataafa Storm and Why Split Rock Was Built

Home › Minnesota Legends › The Mataafa Storm and why Split Rock was built

The Mataafa Storm and why Split Rock was built is a Minnesota story with a documented core at Split Rock Lighthouse and Duluth harbor, Lake County. The sources are named below.

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

The Story
Its Home
Looked For
FAQ

Collected 0 of 24Next legend

A story with a documented core.

No. 2 of 24

The Mataafa Storm and Why Split Rock Was Built

People say a great November storm in 1905 changed Lake Superior forever. Snow buried Duluth, the wind howled, and ships fought to reach shelter. The freighter Mataafa was torn in two within sight of the Duluth shore. Five years later a new lighthouse was lit on a high cliff along the North Shore, and people have called it the lighthouse the storm built.

What The Record Shows

The Minnesota Historical Society's MNopedia says the Mataafa Storm hit Lake Superior November 27 to 29, 1905, with winds near 68 mph on November 28. The U.S. Steel freighter Mataafa struck the Duluth north pier about 2:00 p.m. on November 28 and grounded near shore. Waves broke the ship in two. Fifteen men were rescued from the bow and nine at the stern died of exposure overnight. MNopedia puts the storm's toll at 36 lives and 29 vessels damaged or destroyed. The article gives two distances for how far the ship was from shore (150 yards in one place, a few hundred feet in another). MNopedia says Split Rock Lighthouse, completed in July 1910, filled a gap in navigation aids between Two Harbors and Grand Marais, where seven vessels were caught in the storm. A second MNopedia article says Congress appropriated $75,000 in early 1907, construction began in spring 1909, and the light was first lit July 31, 1910. Safety changes followed, including lifeboats on the Duluth piers and deck cables on freighters.

Sources: Mataafa Storm, 1905 (MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society); Split Rock Lighthouse (MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society).

A Note

Nine men died on the Mataafa. This page tells it as documented history, with respect.

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

An official source for the saying that Lake Superior never gives up her dead

More Legends

Plan The Trip

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the story of The Mataafa Storm and why Split Rock was built true?

The Minnesota Historical Society's MNopedia says the Mataafa Storm hit Lake Superior November 27 to 29, 1905, with winds near 68 mph on November 28.

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: Mataafa Storm, 1905 (MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society); Split Rock Lighthouse (MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society).

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 Mataafa Storm and Why Split Rock Was Built”, itsminnesota.com/legends/mataafa-storm-and-split-rock/ (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.