Join us for an afternoon dedicated to the 50^th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck, featuring a lecture by shipwreck historian Ric Mixter and a musical performance, including the classic Gordon Lightfoot song inspired by the event.

Ric’s talk will focus on the investigations of the Fitz, the Great Lakes’ largest shipwreck, resting in two major pieces on the bottom of Lake Superior just over the Canadian border. It was lost in a killer storm in 1975, and its entire crew of 29 simply vanished into the waves around seven that evening.

Mixter is one of only a handful of people who have visited the wreck personally, diving 550 feet down in a tiny submarine to explore the site for over an hour. This was the beginning of over 20 years of research for Mixter, who has collected one of the largest film archives of Fitzgerald-related material. Ric’s talk includes exclusive footage of the building of the ship near Detroit, along with interviews from the men who worked at the shipyard and with former crew of the Fitz, including a mate that sailed with the captain that was lost.

The wrecksite was investigated by the Coast Guard with a remote robot in 1976, and then by Jacques Cousteau in 1980. Ric shares interviews with both investigations, including Jacque’s son Jean-Michel who was in charge of Calypso when it searched the Great Lakes. Investigations in 1989, 1994 and the bell raising in 1995 are also covered in the lecture, along with Ric’s insight on what might have happened to the ship and crew.

The event will conclude with a Q&A, followed by a musical performance along with time for snacks and conversation. Presented in partnership with UW Superior and Douglas County Historical Society as part of the Wisconsin Historical Society History Makers Tour. The History Makers Tour is presented by Culver’s.