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Located on the shoreline of Eagle Harbor stands a building that is over 100 years old in remembrance of some of the Keweenaw’s bravest. What was once home to a full crew of the Coast Guard, is now a museum focusing on the progress of maritime innovation.
At its recent open house, the Life Saving Station displayed vessels used for rescue operations from the past and present.
“Mostly we want to open up and show the public all the equipment that, when you look at the life saving service and you look at the US Coast Guard all these years, the equipment they used in these early years. We have a good representation of that equipment on hand for them to view. We welcome everybody to come and see what we’ve got. The museum is open daily from 9 until 6 and admission is free,” said Mark Rowe of the Keweenaw County Historical Society, who explains some of the duties and determination of the crew who once lived here.
Rowe said, “Anytime there were ships in distress somewhere, they would reach out to the nearest stations and of course the life savers would make the effort regardless of weather. They had the motto- you have to go out, but you don’t have to come back.”
As technology progressed, the need for two Keweenaw Coast Guard stations declined, and eventually only the Portage Station remained in operation.
“The freighters were getting better equipped. They were better able to navigate in bad weather and, as a result, this eventually closed. So now we’ve got the opportunity to take and bring back to life for a lot of people a time that was,” said Dave Thomas, who comes to the museum twice a day to open and close the building and share some of his knowledge acquired with nearly four decades of active Coast Guard duty.
Along with older human-powered vessels that remain on display at the museum full time, visitors also got to experience some modern day equipment with a 47 foot lifeboat powered by two Detroit Diesel engines and is currently in service, stationed at Dollar Bay.
“It’s pretty much a work horse. I think a lot of the questions I think everyone is surprised about is that it’s made out of aluminum. That seems to be the fascinating aspect of the boat,” said Boatswain Mate First Class David Duenow.
With a price tag of $1.2 million, the entire vessel is water tight, and in rough waters, if it were to capsize, it returns to its upright position.
Children and parents were able to tour the boat and sit at the controls while learning of some of the features.
Duenow said, “We’re here today to give tours of the 47, to talk about the boat and its capabilities. Also, to talk about general safety with the kids, the importance of life jackets and boating safety, and some of the requirements. Just getting our presence out there.”
