Completed in 1910 on a 133-foot Lake Superior cliff in response to the 1905 Mataafa Storm that wrecked 29 ships, this Minnesota Historical Society site carries reports of a lightkeeper apparition and unexplained phenomena
3713 Split Rock Lighthouse Rd, Two Harbors, MN 55616
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Admission fee; MNHS members free; State Park vehicle permit required outside operating hours
Access
Limited Access
133-foot cliff above Lake Superior; rocky paths and uneven terrain; not fully accessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1910 · Built in response to 1905 Mataafa Storm — 29 ships lost or damaged · Active 1910–1969 as navigational aid for Lake Superior ore shipping · Minnesota Historical Society site · Annual Edmund Fitzgerald memorial light — November 10
On November 28, 1905, a severe storm struck Lake Superior and became known as the Mataafa Storm for the ore carrier Mataafa, which broke apart attempting to re-enter Duluth harbor while crowds watched from shore. That single storm sank or badly damaged 29 vessels and killed nearly 30 sailors. The disaster made clear that the northern shore of Lake Superior lacked reliable navigational aids.
Congress appropriated funds for a lighthouse, and construction of Split Rock began in 1909 on a basalt cliff 133 feet above the waterline, 20 miles northeast of Two Harbors. All materials — including 300 tons of brick and the fog signal equipment — had to be landed by boat and hoisted up the cliff face, since no road yet reached the site. The lamp was first lit on July 31, 1910.
The lighthouse used a third-order Fresnel lens with a characteristic flash visible 22 miles offshore in clear conditions. It was an essential aid to navigation during the age of iron ore shipping on the Great Lakes. A road finally reached the site in 1924, ending the keepers' near-isolation. Three keepers and their families lived on the grounds in a compound that included the tower, fog signal building, and keeper's dwellings.
The Coast Guard decommissioned the light in 1969, as modern electronic navigation made it obsolete. The Minnesota Historical Society acquired the property and has restored it to its late 1920s appearance. Each November 10 the lighthouse lamp is lit in memory of the 29 crew members who died when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior in 1975.
Sources
Split Rock Lighthouse's paranormal reputation rests primarily on one account from the mid-1980s, documented on multiple regional dark-tourism sites and attributed to a visitor experience rather than a staff sighting. A visitor reported losing his wallet on the grounds and subsequently encountering a man in a lightkeeper's uniform standing on the catwalk of the decommissioned tower. The figure returned the wallet. When the visitor returned the next day to thank the apparent employee, staff told him the tower had been locked and unoccupied at the time of the encounter.
Cascade Lodge's regional haunting guide documents an additional account of a figure visible through windows in the upper section of the tower while the building was locked and confirmed empty. The accounts are generally attributed to former keepers who spent large portions of their working lives at the isolated cliff-top station.
The lighthouse is included in Great Lakes maritime haunting literature — including the Midwest Weekends guide to Great Lakes shipwrecks — in the context of the broader November-storm tragedy tradition on Lake Superior. No commercial paranormal investigation programming operates at the site; it remains a standard historical attraction.
Notable Entities
The Minnesota Historical Society's Keepers Tour gives access to the keeper's quarters, where most paranormal accounts originate, and the lighthouse tower. Interpretive guides cover the 1905 Mataafa Storm, the lighthouse's construction and operation from 1910 to 1969, and the keepers' daily lives. A commemorative light is lit each November 10 in memory of the Edmund Fitzgerald crew.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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