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Within the boundaries of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
is the largest and finest single collection of
lighthouses in the country.
~ F. Ross Holland, Jr., Great American Lighthouses, 1994
It has long been said that the Apostle Islands are the Jewels on the Water of Lake Superior. If that be true, then surely the Apostle Islands lighthouses are the Jewels on the Jewels. With the addition this year of the 100-year-old Ashland Breakwater Harbor Lighthouse, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is now home to nine historic lighthouses. All are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and comprise the most outstanding assortment of lighthouses anywhere in the country. Most continue to perform their original function and now, having been meticulously restored by the National Park Service, are available for visitors to the Islands.
The banner photograph at the top of this month’s Island Notes is a shot of the newly refurbished Michigan Island lighthouse. It is being unveiled today and is the fifth in the series of jaw-dropping photos created by Mark Weller and John Rummel. They have been taken one-at-a-time over the years since 2009 during the new moon in early July when the Milky Way has formed a spectacular backdrop to the lighthouses on Outer Island, Sand Island, Raspberry Island, Devil’s Island, and now, Michigan Island. The pictures honor the memory of Martin Hanson who had a great love for the Apostle Islands and was instrumental in Congress passing a bill creating the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in 1970.
Remarkable framed prints (26†x 21â€) of the photos can be seen on the website of the Friends of the Apostle Islands and, with the exception of the Outer Island print which has been sold out, are available for purchase. The proceeds from the sale of these prints support The Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore whose mission it is to promote an appreciation for and preservation of the natural environment and cultural heritage of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. They are unrivaled in their dramatic and beautiful depiction of the grandeur of the Apostle Islands and make very special gifts for lovers of the Apostles, the Chequamegon Region, Lake Superior and lighthouses generally. The full set can be seen on display in our store. Drop in and have a look!
We carry a number of books on the lighthouses of the Apostle Islands, the lighthouses of Wisconsin, and the lighthouses of the Great Lakes. Among them are: Majestic Lights: The Apostle Islands Lighthouses by Jim Merkel, Lighthouses of the Apostle Islands by Dave Strzok and Nancy Trapp, Wisconsin Lighthouses by Ken and Barb Wardius, Great Lakes Lighthouses by John Penrod, and Great Lakes Lighthouses by Wes Oleszewski.
We also encourage you to check out the 20th Annual Apostle Islands Lighthouse Celebration starting September 1st. There are a variety of opportunities to explore many of the lighthouses of the Apostle Islands!
Remember, if you’ve lost yours,
we are your local bookstore!
All of us at AIB
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What we're reading...
 Apostle Islands Water Trips
by John C. Frank
An excellent guidebook with paddling, boating, and camping information for one mainland site and 21 islands in the Apostle Islands archipelago including each island’s location, geography and history, shoreline and landing sites, and camping and hiking facilities. The islands are described in separate chapters which include each island’s shoreline features, landing sites, and other important information for kayakers and boaters. In addition to the guidebook information, each chapter also includes a vignette or essay related to the chapter’s location and based on the author’s paddling and camping experiences on each island over a twenty-two year period. The author has donated all royalties to the Friends of the Apostle Islands and we are likewise donating all of our proceeds to the group.
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 Leaving Berlin
by John Kanon
Caught up in the McCarthy witch-hunts, a young Jewish refugee Alex Meier, a socialist, is recruited into the CIA to seek redemption from the impolitic politics he practiced after his arrival in the US from war torn Germany. He is assigned to his native Berlin, a city in ruins and in desperate straits from the Soviet blockade. Things go wrong – kidnappings, killings, betrayal. The spy novel seamlessly morphs into the love story of a couple who find themselves reunited in the shadowy terrain of the American and Soviet sectors of the city. After being years and worlds apart he is now an intelligence agent with the CIA and she is the lover (more or less) of a Soviet official. The New York Times says, “ Kanon deftly captures the ambiance of a city that’s still a wasteland almost four years after the Nazi’s defeat.â€
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 Alex McKnight Mystery Series
by Steve Hamilton
Let us introduce you to Alex McKnight, the ex-Detroit cop, who is the primary character in Hamilton’s mystery series set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Alex lives in a cabin his now dead father built just outside the small town of Paradise. With that as the starting point, Hamilton uses his criminally-twisted imagination and the incredibly diverse geography of the Upper Peninsula to keep Alex in really hot water for ten (10) novels. Many of you are yearning for a new Cork O’Connor mystery from Kent Krueger, but unfortunately it will be many months before a new one is published. During these next few months why not ride along with Alex, his friends Jackie, Vinnie and Leon, and experience the series of chaotic messes they are tossed into. Stop in the store and pick one up, or order online. Enjoy the ride, you will not be disappointed.
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Final Thoughts...
“Gently the waves would break (Lily heard them in her sleep); tenderly the light fell (it seemed to come through her eyelids). And it all looked, Mr. Carmichael thought, shutting his book, falling asleep, much as it used to look years ago.â€
~ Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse
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Hooray!
