Manuscripts Collection
Located on Lake Superior's North Shore, the Split Rock Lighthouse began operation on August 1, 1910. It was originally under the supervision of the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Lighthouses, and in 1939 was turned over to the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1968 the station was declared obsolete and was closed. It was placed under the jurisdiction of the federal government's General Services Administration in 1969. In February 1971, the federal government donated the station to the State of Minnesota, and on May 2, 1971 the property—land and buildings—was dedicated as Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. At that time the station was opened to visitors for the first time since 1951. In August 1976, the station was turned over to the Minnesota Historical Society to be administered as Split Rock Lighthouse Historic Site.
Historical information was taken from Glenn Sandvik, "A Guiding Light for Fifty
Years,"
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the
Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics,
persons or places should
McLean, Virginia: Q Systems, Inc., November-December 2001.
Daily Logs, January 1951-December 1967 (9 volumes): National Archives. Record Group 26, Records of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Harry Thompson Diary, May 13, 1913-December 7, 1925 (1 volume): Isle Royale National Park, Houghton, Michigan.
Accession number: 11,417; 15,522; 16,054; 16,570
Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project
grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Processed by: Cheryl N. Thies, January 1982; Deborah M. Kahn, July 2003; Shelby Edwards, January 2012
Catalog ID number: 001730908
"Account of oil, wicks, and chimneys expended daily...and showing the time of lighting and extinguishing and the length of time lighted each night"; kept by light house keeper, Orren P. Young. Some entries also contain commentary on weather conditions.
The photocopied logbooks, kept by the station's head keepers, cover the service of Orren P. Young (1910-1928), Franklin J. Covell (1928-1942), James Gagnon (1942-1944), and Morse E. Rhea (1944-1946). They contain daily entries during the Lake Superior shipping seasons, usually April through December, documenting the station's daily activities, weather and shipping conditions, improvements and repairs, and assistant keepers' names, salaries, and dates of service. Between 1910 and 1942, keepers Young and Covell also used the volumes as personal diaries. Their entries include notations on their families, assistants, visitors, and area social, political, and news events.
Daily log books/sheets giving climatological data gathered at, and narratives of human and natural events at, Split Rock Lighthouse. From November 1949 through June 1951, records are entitled "Journal of Light Station at..." and consist of brief narrative statements covering the events of each day, arranged chronologically. Beginning in July 1951, the records are on preprinted United States Coast Guard light station log forms asking for a greater variety of weather data and personnel responsibilities with space for summary narrative happenings for each day. The order of the latter reports varies. A summary monthly report for most months is present either at the beginning or the end of the month's entries. Entries for light stations other than Split Rock appear on some reels.
At end of reel is daily log for Spectacle Reef Light Station, Lake Huron, July-October 1955.
At front of reel is daily log for Spectacle Reef Light Station, Lake Huron, November 1955-December 1956.
At end of reel is daily log for Spring Point Ledge Light Station, South Portland, Maine, January-August 1954.
Copies of personal diaries kept by Thompson during his tenure as first assistant keeper at Split Rock (1913-Oct. 3, 1923) and as keeper at Passage Island Lighthouse in Michigan (October 15, 1923-1925). Thompson's daily entries record weather conditions, work-related and personal activities and events, and money spent. There are also a few financial accounts for 1926-1927.