Holding Space For a Pre-Yuletide Legend: The Edmund Fitzgerald

As the snow falls and the lights go up, I feel Christmas coming to Chicago in a frenzied charge. 

It won’t be long before Black Friday shopping ensues and the feverish, sweaty herd of consumers descend upon Michigan Avenue. 

Every year, Americans seem to get ahead of ourselves in celebrating Christmas, spending our fall months in preparation for a holiday six days short of January. Decorations seem to be put up earlier every year, and the amount of capital poured into Christmas looks to increase every time it rolls around. 

To clarify, I’m not anti-Christmas. But all this preparation inadvertently steals the spotlight from appreciating the Midwestern legend of The Edmund Fitzgerald. 

On Nov. 10, 1975, The largest freighter on the Great Lakes — The Edmund Fitzgerald — sank during a storm on Lake Superior. The boat faced waves as high as 25 feet tall and winds of over 40 mph. 

The 729 foot freighter snapped in half. The Edmund Fitzgerald brought all 29 crew members to the bottom of Lake Superior. The exact cause of the sinking is still unknown, though there have been many theories on how the storm brought the ship down. 

In 1994, the wreck was explored for the first time in decades. The freezing temperatures of Lake Superior allowed the bodies of the crew to be found well-preserved and intact, granting many families closure. In 2006, the wreck was declared a protected grave site under the Ontario Heritage Act. 

The Edmund Fitzgerald remains a part of the regional memory. Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad, “The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald,” pays tribute to those who lost their lives that cold November day. Nov. 10, 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of the tragedy. 

Yet, each year remembering those lost in The Edmund Fitzgerald is overshadowed by the ever-popular Christmas. It seems wreaths and lights go up before we can throw out our gutted pumpkins. By the time Nov. 10 arrives, most are already writing down Christmas lists and practicing carols. The Edmund Fitgerald doesn’t stand a chance.

But by honoring the Fitzgerald, Midwesterners not only remember the tragedy, they pay recognition to the place we live and call home. A place shaped by unpredictable weather, violent winds and the resilience of the people who brave the northern Midwest winter. 

Every kid in the Midwest learns early on the Great Lakes aren’t just bodies of water. They’re practically freshwater inland seas, and they’re responsible for the development of cities like Chicago and Detroit. They are forces of nature who’ve shaped American trade and culture as we know it today. 

Forgetting The Edmund Fitzgerald in the panicked Christmas rush is to forget a chapter of the Midwest identity.

The final transmission from The Edmund Fitgerald was “We are holding our own,” transmitted at 7:10 p.m. on Nov. 10, 1975. 

I’m not joyless or contrarian in my appreciation for a somewhat morbid remembrance. I simply respect each day as it falls on the calendar. Each season deserves its due appreciation. For early November, a quiet gray sky and a fresh chill in the air means it’s time to remember The Edmund Fitzgerald. 

So before the Christmas wishlists are written, let’s pause and tune out the premature Christmas classics. Let Nov. 10 have its moment. Listen to Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad. The Christmas season will come, as it always does, but for one day, remember the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.