Lighthouse Adventures: Heroes, Haunts & Havoc on the Great Lakes

In September 1905, you are the keeper of the Outer Island Light, in the Apostle Islands, Lake Superior. The Lake is whipping itself into an Autumn storm. You expect trouble. Some hours later, you get it. You spot a lifeboat rowing towards your shore, 10 mariners, some rowing, some bailing, the survivors of a ship gulped by the hungry Lake. Within 500 feet of your beach, a vengeful wave tosses the lifeboat end over end. All 10 are thrown into the icy water; only 5 resurface. They cling to their overturned boat, their limbs flinching, their fingers loosening. Duty-bound, you wade into the frigid breakers--it feels like a thousand needles piercing your legs--a splash in your face robs you of your breath--but doggedly you reach the overturned lifeboat and its castaways. You successfully haul a man back to the beach and set him down into the sand. And then you go back out--four more times--for the others. And you are 60 years old. Such is the fodder of this collection of true, harrowing, and thoroughly satisfying stories of Great Lakes lighthouses. Read about a lighthouse engulfed by a forest fire, and the only escape is by sea. Read about the Marshall family, a family of lighthouse keepers, and how William Marshall's obsession with his light in April 1883 cost him dearly, as he strove to reach his station through ice-choked Lake Huron. Read about the Stannard Rock Lighthouse, known as "the loneliest place on Earth," still afflicted by snow drifts in May. Read about the thousands of tons of gravel, cement, and iron necessary to erect a lighthouse--with 19th century technology. Awash with incredible statistics--construction costs, timelines, work gangs--plus photos and cutaway illustrations--this book will illuminate and inspire. It will raise the hairs on your arms. And you will shudder before the majesty and the fury of the Great Lakes.

I picked the book up at a local bookstore, Thinking "I like Michigan's unique lighthouse culture, and I like ghost stories, so I'll give it a try" It turned out much better then expected, and I look forward to reading more of Mr Oleszewski's books. I found myself reading whole stories, and not being able to put the book down till the story was done. Definatly a good book to sit and read cover to cover!

This a great book to read if you are really into the Great Lakes and lighthouses. I read this book during this winter and it makes a great way to spend a cold and snowy evening! You won't be disappointed. Buy it now before it goes out of print.

Peppered with numerous black-and-white photographs and sketches, Wes Oleszewski's Lighthouse Adventures: Heroes, Haunts & Havoc On The Great Lakes is an amazing, informative and impressive collection of stories, technical descriptions, wrecked ships, and heroic acts for readers wanting to learn more about the history and service of lighthouses throughout the centuries. All the stories within Lighthouse Adventures are real, and all the brave people chronicled in its pages truly did contribute their part to the history of these fascinating buildings. Lighthouse Adventures enthusiastically recommended reading for all lighthouse buffs and a welcome addition to nautical studies reference collections.

This is the first book I've read by Wes Oleszewski -- but it won't be the last. "Lighthouse Adventures" transports the reader to another time. A time of everyday heros who place their own lives at risk to save others. If you've wondered what service in the US Lighthouse Service or the US Lifesaving Service was like before electric lights, radio communications and GPS, this book will take you there. Illustrated with historic black and white photos (as well as some contemporary photos by the author) and location maps. My only criticism is the reproduction of the photos could have been sharper. The author's meticulus research and you-are-there writing style makes "Lighthouse Adventures" a real page turner. Those who love the Great Lakes and their rich nautical history as well as lighthouse lovers everywhere will want to add this one to their library. Highly recommended!