2025 will mark the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The loss of all 29 men aboard has been memorialized in songs, books, and a musical. Now a new group in Superior calling themselves "Friends of the Fitz” is seeking to add a historical marker to that list.

The Wisconsin Historical Society marker would be erected on Barker's Island in sight of the docks where the Fitzgerald took on its final load of taconite in November 1975. The cost to put up a historical marker is $7,000-$8,000 and the group is currently fundraising. The Friends hope their effort sets off a year of activities focused on the anniversary, which they're calling “the year of the Fitz.”

For this month’s episode of Archive Dive, Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by two members of the Friends group, local historian and retired librarian Teddy Meronek and Curator of Collections and Exhibits for the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center Brianna Fiandt. They dive into some of the details of the ship, how the idea of a marker came to be, why having a marker in Superior makes sense, and more.

If you wish to make a donation for the marker, visit www.douglashistory.org/memberships-sponsorships/edmondfitz.

New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth Media Group digital producer Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at [email protected].