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Donahue Kept the Light On
South Haven MI, Lake Michigan
Captain James Donahue was a decorated veteran of the Civil War, wounded twice in battles. Having lost a limb, one might expect he would have chosen a less rigorous life. But this heroic figure continued in service to his country, winning commendations and awards for his exemplary life as a keeper.
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Enlisted back in '61
Eighth infantry of Michigan
At the Battle of the Wilderness
He lost a leg, no less
From Private on to Captain, he
Served with pride and dignity
Left Union forces still to serve
Just one leg but bounteous nerve
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Out on the catwalk ice would form
In sudden squalls and bitter storms
One good leg, one wooden limb
Nothing would deter him
Character, consistency
His service bridged a century
From sundown to the break of dawn
Donahue kept the light on
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A legend on that inland sea
South Haven's keeper fearlessly
Encountered trials, spirits strong
Donahue kept the light on
Well they all felt better with their husbands out
When an angry storm would come about
The wives felt better with their husbands gone
Donahue kept the light on
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Out to Dunkirk
Dunkirk (Point Gratiot), NY, Lake Erie
The lighthouse at Dunkirk saw many changes throughout the 1800s, as did many of the Great Lakes Lights. New towers and dwellings replaced older ones, new fresnel lenses were added to increase power and visibility, and colorful characters and events dotted the lighthouse's historical landscape. This song visits three such times.
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Going out to Dunkirk, down from Buffalo he came
A contractor with a lighthouse plan, Jesse Peck's the name
With pride his plan accomplished, it was 1829
Whale oil fueled the flame for the guiding fire
Going west past Dunkirk, over Erie's waters dark
On the trek toward Cleveland and beyond
The light would guide the ships to wind around Point Gratiot
By the break of dawn be long gone
Going out to Dunkirk, with a new third order lens
Made a brighter beam, the year was 1857
Came a state of disrepair despite the light's new power
Came a call to build a new stone tower
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Going out to Dunkirk on the first day of July
In the year of 1875
See exhibited the third order fixed white light
From the tower sixty-one feet high
Going out past Dunkirk, late in 1897
The Idaho was loaded with intended Christmas presents
Down she went despite the light, dashed hopes of many stores
Later, slabs of chocolate washed to shore
So much is left to find
There is no doubt about it
History's not blind, as we see,
When we go out to Dunkirk
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Lap of Luxury
Grosse Point, Evanston IL, Lake Michigan
Grosse Point is one of the most beautiful, picturesque sites on the Great Lakes. The power of the signal, the height of the tower, and the charm and opportunities of the surrounding community made appointment there very desirable. But no matter how nice the appointment, the lake would eventually act like every other, and terrible times would come.
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Twelve miles north of Chicago,
Standing proud and tall, a faithful guide
On every lake the lighthouse men,
If they could choose, might come to serve in style
Keepers were a neighbor to Northwestern
All the best that culture could afford
The lantern had a lens of second order
Assignment there a powerful reward
Well-appointed, comfortable and clean
But every now and then the lake was mean
Snaking through these shoals could spell disaster
When Michigan's fierce winds would whip the coast
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Raise the ships and toss them down
And make the hollow hull the water's host
Well-manicured the grounds, the place pristine
But every now and then the lake was mean
Busy ports, New York and San Francisco
Combined they could not match Chicago's trade
Gains of commerce, pains of loss
Sometimes the watery route became a grave
Well-appointed, comfortable and clean
But every now and then the lake was mean
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Ishmael's Petition
Sodus Point NY, Lake Ontario
When Ishmael Hill wrote to the Lighthouse Service requesting appointment to the Sodus Bay Light, it seems he felt he had something coming. In fact, the veteran of the War of 1812 had lost nearly every worldly possession as he served his country. Never had he asked for or received any renumeration or
favors. With his petition, Ishmael played all his cards at once!v
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Old Sodus Point, on Lake Ontario
1824, October 30 is the day I write
W.H. Crawford, I pray Your Honor, hear my plea
Next year at the entrance to this port
There'll be a lighthouse
You'll need a lighthouse keeper, that keeper I would be
I served my country well, more or less engaged, I was
During the whole of the war, I was always a volunteer
I piloted for Chauncey, the attack he led on Kingston,
Stayed with him 'til Sackett's Harbor, until we laid up the fleet
I lost the Lady Washington, the English took her
I got nothing in return
Lost the Island Packet, too, in the St. Lawrence Seaway,
The enemy watched her burn
On the schooner Fox I was Lieutenant when my ship
Engaged an English gunboat. We took 72 prisoners,
And that filled us all with pride
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Served Commander Chauncey and Commander Wesley, too
Nothing was asked of me that I did not freely do
Having done all the service to my country that was in my power
And having lost all my property
Your Petitioner now asks Your Honor
The post of keeper of this lighthouse
I am a sailor by profession,
Well acquainted with the lake,
And with the entrance into the port of Sodus
For which reason Your Petitioner
Would frequently be of material service
To vessels that might be entering said port
Your Petitioner therefore prays Your Honor
Grant the privilege of this petition
As Your Petitioner, in duty bound, will ever pray
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Manitou Moonshine
Manitou Island MI, Lake Superior
One way to lose your job as a keeper was to operate a rotgut whiskey still out of the lighthouse.
Nathaniel Fadden reportedly had such a business at Manitou Island off of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the 1880s. When quarrels over price and quality became public, authorities had Fadden arrested.
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In View of the Round Island Light
Mackinac Island MI, Lake Huron
One of the most photographed lighthouses on the Lakes is Round Island. All ferry traffic heading into or out of Mackinac Island's harbor passes close by, and the Round Island Light stands guard and bids
romantic welcome or farewell. This song parallels the dramatic restoration project which has reclaimed this once-endangered site, with a relationship in dire straits.
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Early one morning he picked up Melissa
Left from her house for a six hour drive
Tommy had a question he needed to ask her
He wanted the time and the place to be right
They parked the car at the dock in St. Ignace
They boarded the ferry for Mackinac Island
Nearing the harbor they passed on their starboard
The beautiful Round Island Light
There were fudge shops, restaurants, bicycle rentals,
Art stores, hotels, horse-drawn carriage rides
He passed them all by 'til he found them a nice quiet
View of the Round Island Light
He fell to one knee, said, "Will you marry me?"
Melissa said, "Tommy, you know that I will."
And they huddled together, they promised forever
In view of the Round Island Light
Tommy thought earth would be heaven
But he was a dreamer and the dream was a lie
There is a heaven but on earth you can't get there
Not even from Mackinac Island
Eight long years later they'd lost little Joshua
His parents were ill, her career took a slide
Empty and numb they both went through the motions
But forgot about Mackinac Island
Her evenings spent watching the TV
And Tommy was coming home late all the time
'Til one night he came to the bedroom and said,
"I stay, but I'm not quite sure why."
He watched Melissa, she cried and she trembled
She twisted her ring 'round her finger one time
She said, "Whatever happened to our sacred promise
We made up on Mackinac Island?"
She said, "Let's take the weekend and go to the island.
We can take time to talk or we can simply be quiet,
Maybe just rest for a while."
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It took some time for Tommy's reply
He seemed cool and detached, had emotionless eyes
"I guess that'd be alright."
Getting ready she borrowed some books from the library
One told the story of the Round Island Light
Once left abandoned, now a beautiful sight
From 1947 to '72
Neglect and no protection let a storm's waves tear through
The light would soon collapse, no one knew what to do
Plans to tear it down caused a public outcry
"This light is a treasure, we can't let it die,"
Said the Friends of the Round Island Lighthouse
Inch after inch, room after room
Gift after gift, crew after crew
Sheer determination to make her like new
And each year the dream's coming closer to true
Long quiet hours on the way to St. Ignace
Melissa was reading, and Tommy grew tired
They traded places and Tommy turned pages
In the books that Melissa had brought from the library
He stopped where she'd dogeared the Round Island story
He looked at the pictures, saw the great turnaround
Kept pondering all through the ride on the ferry
'Til they made their way back to the island
He sat on the rocks in the view of the lighthouse
Melissa sat distant though not far behind
He thought how their lives lay all broken and shattered
In view of the Round Island Light
Tommy looked back at Melissa
She whispered, "Oh Tommy, do you think there's still time?"
A tear crossed his cheek as he turned and he kissed her
In view of the Round Island Light
And they huddled together, they promised forever
In view of the Round Island Light
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Let the Lower Lights Be Burning
The hymn writer Philip Bliss heard D.L. Moody's illustration of a ship in trouble. Seeing the light from the tower, the Captain and crew could not see the guiding lights of the harbor entrance. Without both kinds of light the ship crashed during its approach and many lives were lost. "Brethren," Moody concluded, "the Master will take care of the great lighthouse. Let us keep the lower lights burning."
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Brightly beams our Father's mercy
From his lighthouse evermore
But to us he gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore
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Let the lower lights be burning
Send a gleam across the wave
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
You may rescue, you may save
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Trim your feeble lamp, my brother
Some poor seaman, tempest-tossed
Trying now to make the harbor
In the darkness may be lost
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Tramway Ride
Split Rock, Two Harbors MN, Lake Superior
Few lighthouses have as spectacular a setting as Superior's Split Rock, and there are many captivating
characters and facts in its history. One such character is a girl named Marilyn. As a young girl she would entertain the growing groups of tourists with feats of skill and daring. She later took her talents to the circus.
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No roads to Split Rock in 1908, but the need for the lighthouse was great
So the steam-powered hoist and derrick hauled 310 tons of materials
Up the 100 foot cliff from the lake
Prism by prism the lantern was built till the lens lit Superior's nights
Then in 1916 a new tramway scaled those heights,
Brought supplies from the lake to the light
Finally in '24, a road to the light, and the tramway fell into disuse
In the 30s the tourism trend and a taste for excitement
Gave one little girl an excuse
There's nothing like riding a bike
To entertain the crowds that come to the lighthouse
The wind in my face as I ride down the hill
This is my life at the lighthouse
Marilyn's mother is pacing the front porch
Facing the turntable tramway unloading port
She sees no fear in her little performer
She takes a deep breath and she sighs
Back to Song Titles
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Marilyn, why must you take risky chances?
Darling, be careful, don't fall, take your time
The crowd is amazed, I can see how they love you,
And Marilyn, dear, so do I
Marilyn tiptoes the rails like a tightrope
Gently and gingerly navigates the steep slope
Tourists are thrilled by her skill and precision,
Their cheering feels sweet to her ears
One of two tricks done she turns to the hill,
Pilots her younger brother's bike
Poised right between the track's winding rails
Down the narrow planks she glides
She's taking a tramway ride,
Her own kind of tramway ride
Boatloads of nerve, incredible balance,
She's taking a tramway ride
The pen of its history spells out Split Rock
The letters are tall and they're wide
Its purpose and beauty are crossing the t,
And Marilyn's dotting the I
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