The shelves in the bake house at Fort Wilkins were rather empty the winter of 1844 after the sinking of the John Jacob Astor. The fort didn’t receive its normal winter’s supply even though some supplies was rescued from the wreckage. Flour was in low supply as well as other critical rations until the one remaining ship could deliver additional cargo.
Bake House at Fort Wilkins
In the 1840s, the very frail frontier mining communities along Lake Superior relied on ships to bring supplies. The Sutler’s Store at Fort Wilkins in Copper Harbor was one of the few stores not operated by mining companies in that area and offered competition to the mining stores. The stores also competed for very limited cargo space on the ships and so when the John Jacob Astor sank late in the shipping season, it created a winter supply shortage throughout the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Sutler’s Store
Across the bay from where the Copper Harbor Lighthouse sits, the brig John Jacob Astor was wrecked on the rocks at the end of cove in 1844 when a terrific gale came up and the Astor lost one of its two anchors. Repeated attempts were made to free the Astor from the rocks, but she broke up in the severe winter weather conditions. There was only one other schooner left on Lake Superior that fall so the loss of the Astor created severe winter food shortages across the Upper Peninsula including Fort Wilkins in Copper Harbor.
Shipwreck Site
Cloudy days look better in the fall than in the winter and the view is always better when a lighthouse is in the scene. The Copper Harbor Lighthouse aided in the transport of copper from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and was built in 1866.
Light in Copper Harbor
It would be nice if my driveway was showing more rock and sand instead of ice but the sunshine today wasn’t enough to do any melting with the temperature below freezing. It would be nice to take a walk on a beach in the sunshine and only have to worry about getting shoes wet from a mini rogue wave instead worrying about slipping and falling on ice.
Beach at Herbster
The yellow ball was in the sky today, but it didn’t feel like the sun was throwing much more heat than these yellow round blooms of common tansy. The tansy is very invasive, just like the cold air the last few days.
Golden Buttons
I don’t seen all the critters who venture into my yard but I notice a lot of tracks, especially now with the snow. The turkeys aren’t able to hide their tracks in the grass or their bodies in the lush bush so they probably are ready for summer.
Turkey in Summer
I have hiked to see ice formations and in my much younger days, it was a treat when a new smooth layer of ice formed on the creek for ice skating adventures. But in my older years, my car and I do not like that smooth ice that causes too much slipping and sliding. The frozen tower of ice was hollow inside as you hear the water running inside before flowing out on top of the ice.
Tower of Ice
The melting snow has created a pool of water on top of the ice layer on my pond. But since it still is the start of winter and not approaching spring, there shouldn’t be any swans swimming in the small patch of water. And by tomorrow, my pond will be frozen over again.
Patch of Water
The clouds were thick today but if they weren’t, they would have had a windswept look from the gusty winds.
Windswept Sunset
