Yes, that’s what it says. “Womanning” the lights, not
manning them.
Mind the Light, Katie,
by Mary Louise Clifford and J. Candice Clifford, tells the story of
thirty-three female lighthouse keepers, including two that kept the lights
burning on the southern tip of Lake Michigan, not too far from where I live.
Harriet Colfax “wommaned” the Michigan City Light Station
from 1861-1904. Unlike most female keepers, she was neither a lighthouse
keeper’s widow nor a lighthouse keeper’s daughter. She seems to have just
decided to do it. And with a cousin in high places (he was a U.S. Congressman
at the time), she asked for and received the appointment.
Small of stature and frail in appearance, Harriet was not an
obvious candidate for the position, which at times required her to lug the oil
for the lamps across fragile walkways in gale conditions. Yet she managed to
fulfill her duties faithfully for 43 years.
The lights did go out at times, but that was the weather’s
fault, not Harriet’s. Her log entries record her struggle keeping up the light
on the west pier. During storms, she reached the light by walking along a wooden
catwalk elevated above the pier. The catwalk kept her above the huge waves that
swept over the pier, but the catwalk had its own dangers, and the wind damaged
it numerous times. In October 1886, Harriet fought a long, hard struggle
against the gale to light the lamps. As she returned to shore, she turned
around and saw the entire tower fall into the sea.
In spite of the hardships of the job, Harriet maintained the
Michigan City lights until failing health caused her to retire at the age of
80. There were probably times when she hated her job, but her 43-year career
makes me think that it must have mostly given her satisfaction.
Not so for Mary Ryan, who kept the Calumet Harbor Entrance
Light for seven years (1873-1880) after her husband died. Her log entries don’t
paint a picture of a happy woman. They include the following comments.
- “This is such a dreary
place to be all alone in.” (December 1873)
- “Oh for a home in the sunny south.” (April
1874)
- “I think some changes will
have to be made this is not a fit place for anyone to live in.” (April
1880)
- “Oh what a place.” (August
1880)
- “This is all gloom and
darkness.” (November 1880)
Or maybe it was just the climate she despised, not the
lightkeeping duties themselves. After all, she did stick it out for seven
years.
Stay tuned to find out how the younger generation reacted to
lighthouse living.
* * * * *
For more information on Harriet Colfax and the Michigan City
Light Station, see pages 49-56 of Mind
the Light, Katie and/or check out the following websites:
For more information on Mary Ryan and the Calumet Harbor
Entrance Light Station, see pages 57-58 of Mind
the Light, Katie and/or check out the following website:
* * * * *
The Coast Guard picture at the head of this post shows the current
Michigan City East Pierhead Light. That light was not constructed until 1904,
around the time that Harriet Colfax retired, so she might not have lighted it. Still,
the catwalk in the picture—suspended high above the pier—is probably similar to
the one on the west pier that gave Harriet Colfax so much trouble.
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