Split Rock Lighthouse to shine Friday night as 'beacon of hope'

Split Rock Lighthouse
The Split Rock Lighthouse beacon, located along the Lake Superior shore near Beaver Bay, Minn., is lit at dusk on Nov. 10, 2010.
Andrew Krueger | MPR News 2010

Split Rock Lighthouse on Minnesota's North Shore will light its beacon on Friday night, April 10, as a "beacon of hope" amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The lighthouse is closed to the public, but people in Minnesota and beyond are invited to watch a livestream of the lighthouse on the Split Rock Lighthouse Facebook page from 8-11 p.m.

“This is a way of saying to all Minnesotans, and to all people worldwide, that together we will weather this storm,” Kent Whitworth, director and CEO of the Minnesota Historical Society, said in a news release.

Split Rock Lighthouse is marking its 110th birthday in 2020. The beacon is lit only a few times a year on special occasions and anniversaries, including the anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald each November 10.

The lighthouse and museum are operated by the Minnesota Historical Society, though — again — they are closed to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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