The Granite Point Lighthouse

The Granite Point Lighthouse

By 1895, Gordon McDaniels had been the keeper of Granite Point Light for 42 years. He married his childhood sweetheart Penny in 1854 during his first full year as keeper of the lighthouse and the lighthouse had been their home and their life.

Gordon took great pride in his daily tasks of keeping the light burning and ensuring that the foghorn was working properly. He would climb the spiral staircase to the top of the tower several times a day to check the light, and he never tired of the breathtaking view from the lantern room.

Penny and Gordon were still in love after 41 years – all of them spent in the Lighthouse’s living quarters at Granite Point. The lighthouse rooms were small but homey – thanks to Penny. And though located on a precarious cliff on Granite Point, a peninsula that jutted out into a major shipping lane, the lighthouse offered a safe sanctuary for its tenants. The lighthouse was built to withstand even the worst storms the capricious lake could deliver.

The Granite Point peninsula jutted out into the mouth of the Tanquist Corridor, one of the most heavily traveled shipping lanes on the Great Lakes. Spring, summer, and autumn were busy seasons, but in winter, with the lake frozen over and the Tanquist Corridor shipping lanes were eerily empty,

During the winter, Gordon’s job as the keeper of the Granite Point Lighthouse was easier and different. His duties were less urgent and his tasks were lighter. His wintertime chores involved simple maintenance and cleaning tasks which, after four decades, had become simple every-other-day routines, polishing and cleaning, and lubricating the machinery of the Granite Point Lighthouse.

As the winter of 1897 approached and the days grew shorter, Penny suddenly became ill. Gordon and Penny made many precarious trips across the frozen ice to the mainland so that Penny could receive medical treatments at the nearest hospital located in the small town of Lawtaba located near the northern tip of the Rafachel peninsula.

Gordon watched as Penny heroically fought the disease that was consuming her, but by the middle of that winter, she became a thin shadow of herself, and it was clear to both Gordon and Penny that her time on earth was nearing the end. She fought heroically and tenaciously, but as the last of the ice began to melt on the lake and the brittle days of winter faded into the longer, brighter days of spring, Penny’s long fight ended. And as Gordon held her hand, Penny died peacefully with one long deep breath.

After Penny’s death, Gordon’s love for the lighthouse and his daily tasks waned. The routine that once brought him joy now felt more like a burden. The way now became a constant reminder of his loneliness. Gordon went through the motions, mechanically checking the lantern and the horn, but his heart was no longer in it. He missed Penny terribly and wished for nothing more than to be reunited with her.

Gordon found it easier to fight off the feelings of loneliness and loss during the shipping season when he had more responsibilities. But winters were difficult and depressing. Gordon’s sense of loss and desolation became almost unbearable as the ice crackled outside and the gales blew snow across the frozen lake.

Gordon’s held on to the only hope he had and that hope was that spring would come early and that the shipping season would begin sooner than it usually did. With the Tanquist Corridor shipping lanes busy with traffic, Gordon’s life had a purpose. The shipping season broke the bonds of darkness and depression that ate him up inside.

in the summer, with the shipping lanes busy with ships carrying ore, coal, and oil, Gordon’s job took more time and thought as his job was to keep ships in the shipping channel, away from the shallows and reefs. His job was important as the light and the foghorn kept the ships safe as they navigate the narrow channel waters in the dark of night.

One night, during a fierce thunderstorm, a small boat lost in the rough storm-roiled waters, crashed into the rocks at Granite Point. The man and woman on the boat were washed out to sea, but a little girl named Emily tenaciously clung to the rocks. Gordon, despite his age and frailty, hurtled down the steps and out onto the storm-ravage ground and rocks that surrounded this lighthouse home.

He summoned all the strength he had and crawled out onto the rocks that jutted out into the pounding waves. He managed to grab the little girl’s hand and pulled her up and away from the jagged rocks and the roaring waves. He carried her back to the lighthouse, his heart pounding and his body still shaking with fear.

Once inside, Gordon wrapped Emily in blankets and made her some hot cocoa. As the storm raged on outside, Gordon told the little girl stories about the lighthouse and the sea, just as he used to do with Penny. Emily listened with rapt attention, and Gordon found himself enjoying her company. For the first time in years, he felt a sense of purpose and joy.

He had to tell her that he couldn’t save her parents and the storm had carried them out and into the depths of the lake. He comforted her and dried her tears and did his best to help her through the most difficult time of her life. Her sobs broke his heart, still, he did his best to ease Emily’s pain and sorrow.

The storm raged on until morning and then, as the sun rose in the west, and as quickly as it had come over the lake, it left, leaving behind bright-blue skies and brilliant sunshine. After  Gordon finished making breakfast for the two of them, he took Emily to the lantern room at the top of the lighthouse. He showed Emily how he polished the lantern’s mirrors and how he trimmed the wick he lit every evening at sunset. He explained how the mirrors magnified the flame of the wick many times so ships could see the light from over a mile away. He let her do the daily foghorn test. And its sound, deep and vast, startled her.

One day, after lunch, Emily and Gordon went to sit outside on the lighthouse porch, Gordon couldn’t help but think, every time he sat out on that porch, how much he loved to sit out there with Penny and while away the hours sharing stories, talking about the weather, discussing books and newspaper articles they had read, And now, sitting there with Emily, they discussed many things, but mostly about Emily and her future – who would take care of her.

Gordon knew he couldn’t take care of Emily, a lighthouse was not meant to be a home for a child. And besides, he was 78 years old and wouldn’t be able to continue doing what he loved much longer. He realized that climbing those stairs to the lantern room was soon going to be impossible for him. He had no family, no place to go, and sadly he had to admit that the lighthouse was his life.

After a few days, the authorities, stopped at the lighthouse to ask Gordon if he had any knowledge of the recent boat wreck and the family aboard. Gordon told them of the wreck and how he had found a little girl clinging to the rocks and saved her.  He called to Emily who came out onto the porch.

The authorities told Emily they found an aunt and uncle who had reported the family missing. And they told Emily that Aunt Jenny had told them she would do anything to help.

Emily hugged Gordon for a long moment and kissed him on the cheek  Emily knew she would never see him again.

And Gordon knew that he had been given a gift. He had found a new purpose in life, and he vowed to take care of the lighthouse and keep the light burning for as long as he was able. Although he still missed Penny terribly, he knew his love for her would always be with him. And he now had a new memory to cherish – the memory of a little girl he had rescued from the storm and saved her life.

He would never forget Penny. Or Emily.