“History is a symphony of echoes, heard and unheard;
It is a poem, with events, as verses.”
Charles Angoff
Music: The Journey
I love wandering historic old places
And Washington Island, fills the bill
Each and every time that I journey here
I discover something new and get a thrill
This small island is located about six miles
From the mainland, out on Lake Michigan
It has a fascinating history, and many names
And its story begins, with Potawatomi Indians
They had settled on it, as early as the 1600s
As a refuge from their enemies, the Winnebagos
An old legend says that 500 invading canoes were lost
Trying to overtake the island, to watery graves did they go
French fur trappers first arrived on the island in the mid 1700s
They called the treacherous island passage, The Door of Death
Between the 1750s and the 1850s, hundreds of ships were lost
And to this day, ghost ship stories abound, and some are seen yet
The first town was established on the island, by fishermen, in 1850
Who decided to name it after George Washington, our first President
Its very first permanent European settlers were fishermen and farmers
And about 600 very hardy souls still live here year round, as residents
In 1865, the first church was built on the island by its inhabitants
And it still stands here today; it’s called Bethel Seaman’s Chapel
I always love wandering the island’s shorelines, and pines forests
Historic legendary places like Washington Isle provide many thrills
A few cattle and crop farms still exist on Washington Island, today
And a fleet of ferry boats now bring tourists through Death’s Door
And as long as I am able, I will be returning to this legendary place
Since every time I leave it, I always yearn to return here, once more
Porte des Morts, or Death’s Door, has been a formidable hazard for all vessels,
But especially for canoes and sailing ships, which were exceptionally susceptible.
Its dangers were reduced with the construction of a light on Plum Island in 1848,
A lighthouse on Pilot Island in 1850, and a new Plum Island lighthouse, in 1896.
But despite these newer navigational aids, some 24 intrepid sailing vessels,
Including schooners, barks, and brigs, were lost in Death's Door from 1837 to 1914.
Adjacent islands, shoals, and bays claimed 40 others between the 1830s and the 1940s.
Hundreds of other vessels of all types have also been stranded, foundered,
Or wrecked in Death's Door, but were pulled off by salvage efforts and refloated.
Around The Door of Death, Many Old Ghost Ship Sightings Still Abound,
And Here In These Waters, Tiny Snake Island (The Isle of Love) Can Be Found.
©2009, Mr. Ed
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Be always safe,
Karen
And Here In These Waters, Tiny Snake Island (The Isle of Love) Can Be Found"
Hmmmmmmmmmm... not too sure I'll be honeymooning in such a place, Dad, though it sounds a real treat when in shiver-me-timbers-Kiera-Kate mode... :)) xxxxxxxxxxx I've been looking at Macquarie Harbour off Van Diemen's/Tasmania today, the site of The Empire's most brutal penal colony... Don't see THAT in too many honeymoon brochures either! You settin yourself up as tour guide, by any chance? You never disappoint us with your encyclopaedic knowledge of our diverse and beautiful - if scary! world! :))
Lin
(((HUGS))) and much love, your friend in Tx., Karen Lynn. :D
First I have ever heard Of washington Island
Sounds like a great place to stay away from
sounds like our counter paert of "Devil's Island"
but I guess its our history Good or bad
Peace be with you
William
Much peace, love, and light,
Amber "V"
Great write as always, I enjoyed it
Have a great day
Canadian Buzzard
EDvard Ole Buccaneer
(((HUGS))) and love, Karla.