Last updated: September 13, 2023
Article
From the Lightkeeper's Log: Isle Royale Fire History
National Visual Inventory Cards 60-196 / S. Viers
Isle Royale Lighthouse, also known as Menagerie Island Lighthouse, stands 61 feet tall on Menagerie Island. Menagerie Island is a long, rocky island south of Malone Bay. It went into operation in 1875, and was automated in 1913. The light served to guide ships safely around the shoals and reefs of Isle Royale’s south shore. It was originally erected to aid vessel traffic associated with multiple mining booms and busts on Isle Royale.
Paul Brown
John H. Malone
In August 1878, John H. Malone was appointed as Isle Royale Light’s keeper. Life on isolated Menagerie Island was far from luxurious, but it must have suited John and his wife well, as they would end up staying for a remarkable thirty-two years, raising twelve children in the process. During his long tenure as lightkeeper, Malone faithfully kept a logbook, recording things like weather and wave conditions, station upkeep, and lamp lightings.
Malone often made notations of his family's experience on Menagerie Island, living conditions on the barren rock, and significant events, such as the wreck of Algoma - reporting on May 19, 1886, “lifejackets, pillos (sic), parts of a piano” were washing up on Menagerie Island's shores.
NPS
Fire
Little is known about Isle Royale’s fire history before the park was established in 1940 and official record keeping began. Malone’s logbook offers rare insight into historical fire occurrence on the island, as he made multiple notations regarding fire. Research corroborates instances of historical fire, as sediment cores reveal layers of charcoal, indicating fire occurence during Isle Royale's post-settlement era. The extent and cause of these fires is unknown, but they could be associated with mining activities on Isle Royale at the time, as one common way to locate copper deposits was to burn forests, exposing the surface rock. Between the years of 1879 and 1893, Malone noted nine fires: