DULUTH — In 1989, when then-Mayor Herb Bergson named a famous Canadian as an honorary citizen of Superior, the official resolution stated: “Without the talent of Mr. Gordon Lightfoot, the 29 crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald would have been merely a forgotten man.” “Let it remain as statistics.”

The community’s gratitude to the “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” singer-songwriter was understandable, but wasn’t it a bit of an exaggeration to say that Lightfoot was solely responsible for preserving the memories of the missing crew members? Absolutely, though not so hyperbolically that today’s Northerners would understand.

On November 10, 1976 — a year after what is today considered the most famous shipwreck in Great Lakes history — there was not a single story about the anniversary in the News Tribune. The front page featured stories about the death of the real-life Smoky Bear, whether Duluth could raise money to build a new public library, and a new ferry route to a remote Alaskan village.

The newspaper had a report about the anniversary on the previous Sunday, November 7; There was an unfortunate typo in the title: “The icy depths still shroud Fritz’s fate.” Deep in this issue was a short article touching on the impact of a new song released last summer.

The News Tribune reported that Gordon Lightfoot’s song “The Legend of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (sic) was performed by the Duluth Ballet Co. He stated that it would be adapted by. Lightfoot herself approved the concept during a stop in town to play at the Duluth Auditorium. (Duluth Ballet Co. is now known as Minnesota Ballet, and the Duluth Auditorium is known as the Symphony Hall of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.)

1976 file / Duluth Media Group

The article was accompanied by an incredible photo of the ballet’s artistic director, Gilbert Reed, holding a copy of Lightfoot’s “Summertime Dream” album while three dancers stare dramatically out of the frame. “Memoria in Aeterna: Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” earned “solid reviews” and was revived at the company’s 50th anniversary gala in 2000, the News Tribune later reported.

Superior Declaration of 1989

at auction

Lightfoot’s estate leaves some collectibles, including fan-made “Edmund Fitzgerald” items such as the song’s needlework lyrics. Lightfoot’s own Gold and Platinum album awards for sales of “Summertime Dream” are also up for grabs.

Contributors / Heritage Auctions / HA.com

However, a signed Gold record plaque for the sale of the “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” recordings is in Duluth. Especially in Dave Strandberg’s basement.

“I was spending nights at WAKX,” recalled Strandberg, who now hosts Duluth’s KDAL. “Someone called and said they had the (‘Summertime Dream’) album, and they said, ‘Well, there’s a cut here about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.’ So I listened to it and played it, and the phones literally lit up.”

The album was released in June but its first single was the title track. “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” was not released as a single until August 1976, meaning that the first people to get the song on air were DJs like Strandberg, who played the song on the LP.

“We at KDAL are deeply sorry we were kidnapped,” Ken Buehler wrote in an email to me. At the time, Buehler, now director of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, was working at KDAL, which had a “middle of the road” music format. WEBC was the leading rock station, and Buehler surmised, “I’m sure WEBC felt worse.”

Jack Rendulich / File / Duluth Media Group

“I had the option to play some odd cuts in the middle of the night, but due to all the demands it was put on hot rotation during the day and the rest is history,” Strandberg said. “Eventually, some of the other Great Lakes stations started playing it from the album, and then the record company decided to release it as a single.”

The song became one of the most unlikely hits of the rock era, reaching number two on Billboard’s pop chart and, less surprisingly, number 1 in Canada. “It turned out to be a huge hit despite its over six-minute length, which is unusual for a hit single for its day,” Strandberg said.

It was hard to imagine at the time the lasting resonance of the song and how much attention it would bring to what was then considered, in Strandberg’s words, “a traumatic event” for the Great Lakes community. Despite the ship’s intriguing story, it was still surprising to Northlanders to hear a big star like Lightfoot dispense with such local references.

“Obviously that was true for the Twin Ports,” Strandberg said. “Just mentioning ‘a mill in Wisconsin,’ which is basically Superior, was where the boat was. There was a big story when it happened, and it was just as big when we heard the song. It kind of reignited the passion for the whole thing.”

On Nov. 10, 49 years after the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Northland anticipates the annual lighting of the Split Rock Lighthouse beacon and a now-annual two-day “November Storms” conference in Duluth. It sheds light on the maritime history of Lake Superior.

The song still has the power to bring tears to the eyes of those who listen to it and light up their phones. “Even now when it’s played it’s still a big hit,” Strandberg said. “It’s quite unusual.”

Arts and entertainment reporter Jay Gabler joined the Duluth News Tribune in 2022. His previous experience includes eight years as a digital producer at The Current (Minnesota Public Radio), four years as a theater critic for Minneapolis’ weekly City Pages, and six years as an actor. He is the arts editor of the Twin Cities Daily Planet. He is the co-founder of the pop culture and creative writing blog The Tangential; He is also a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the Minnesota Film Critics Circle. You can reach him at [email protected] or 218-409-7529.