The 100th birthday candle gets lit Saturday as Split Rock Lighthouse marks the exact date 100 years ago the icon first shot a beam across Lake Superior.
Saturday events
There will be a special lighting ceremony, including a lantern-passing, followed by fireworks over the lighthouse and lake. The beacon will remain lit for an hour.
The lighting takes place at 8:35 p.m., but those who are aware of the construction on Highway 61 at the Split Rock State Park entrance will know to come far in advance of that time or find other means of getting to the site. The fireworks begin at 8:55 p.m..
Because of anticipated heavy turnout, shuttle buses will run from Gooseberry Falls State Park to accommodate overflow parking.
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The historic site, 20 miles northeast of Two Harbors, will be open for guided tours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. After 6 p.m. the visitor center and gift shop and the grounds will be open while all other historic buildings, including the light station, will close.
There will be an earlier private reception with past keepers and others who lived at the site up to 1969 when it was decommissioned.
A deadly 1905 storm in which 29 ships were damaged or lost on Lake Superior helped spur the construction of Split Rock Lighthouse. Five years later, the first keeper, Orren "Pete" Young, lit its beacon for the first time. The light station operated from 1910 through 1969 when modern navigational equipment made it obsolete. In 1971, the state of Minnesota obtained the historic landmark. It is administered by the Minnesota Historical Society.
Catch history on TV
Duluth's PBS station, WDSE, will broadcast a documentary on Split Rock Lighthouse. "Split Rock, the Superior Light" debuts at 7 p.m. Monday with vintage photos, archival footage and interviews of North Shore and lighthouse experts. It will be repeated at 5 p.m. Aug. 8.
