Mike Roberts, The Last keeper at Split Rock: A Memoir (St. Cloud, MN: North Star Press, 2010)

I’m not a super fan of memoirs unless I know the author. But I am a fan of the lot of water and boats and we had a wonderful drive around Lake Superior, including a visit to Minnesota’s north shore and the Split Rock Lighthouse. So it seems natural to pick up this book when I found it at a reduced price through a used book vendor.

Mike Roberts didn’t life at Split Rock for decades. He served honorably there for a couple of years. It was just the chance of timing that meant that he was there when the lighthouse was decommissioned and like so many others became a part of the past as modern navigation and collision avoidance systems replaced traditional lighthouses. He has preserved the story with a series of vignettes of activities and incidents that were a part of his time of service at the lighthouse.

The book reads easily and is a treat for those who have found beauty and meaning in the vastness of Lake Superior, the beauty of the north shore, and the adventure of the ships and sailors who travel the waters.