While it is no longer in service, it is now preserved by the Little Traverse Conservancy. Vermillion Point’s history is chronicled in “Life on a Lonely Shore,” by Edward J. Canfield and Thomas A. Allan.
It talks about life at the station, like the life saving drills you may have heard on an earlier segment of Maritime Time.
And it includes the daring stories of lifesavers aiding ships in peril on Lake Superior. They also responded to local emergencies by land.
The logging industry in the Upper Peninsula left acres of land barren of all but tree stumps. Nature would come to reclaim those lands with more trees and shrubs but it was blueberries that led the initial charge.
A blueberry boom was upon northern Michigan with towns and industry popping up all around Whitefish Point. While it was not verified, some believe blueberry farmers would start fires to improve next year’s crop.
On Aug. 12, 1919, Vermillion Point got a call about a forest fire surrounding the Little Lake settlement. Lifesavers raced to the scene and fought the fire all day long. They saved a county bridge from being destroyed. About16 hours later, they had contained the flames.
By land or sea, the Vermillion Point Life Saving Station stood at the ready to help those in need.
This will be the final episode of "Maritime Time," as I’m sailing off to other ventures in northern Michigan. Thanks to the good folks who shared stories that took us out to sea in Grand Traverse Bay and beyond, and to the listeners of IPR for hearing those stories. — Tyler Thompson
