The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior 50 years ago. To this day, it’s considered the largest shipwreck on the Great Lakes. Now, a new children’s book recounts the mysterious and captivating story of the Fitz, while honoring the Wisconsin author who wrote it.
“Ellie’s Pursuit of the Mighty Fitz,” begins in a classroom in Superior, where students are about to leave for spring break. Ellie, a curious fifth grader, is feeling disappointed because she doesn’t have a trip planned, and doesn’t know what she’ll bring back for show-and-tell.
That night, Ellie’s grandma, Gigi, comes to visit her at home. She tells Ellie the story of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.
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Ellie convinces Gigi to set out on road trip with her to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Michigan. Along the way, they meet a cast of characters who teach them about the legends of the lakes, the tragedy of the Fitz and about grief.
“Ellie’s Pursuit of the Mighty Fitz,” is a tribute to the people who died that night in 1975, and it’s also a memorial to the author who wrote it. Mckenzie Lee Williams passed away in a motorcycle crash at the age of 23 last year.
Williams’ mom, Missy Green, said it was her dream to be a writer.
“She was amazing,” Green said. “She did everything, whatever she touched turned to gold.”
Green says Williams used to work in a book store, and people would ask her for recommendations of children’s books about the Edmund Fitzgerald. But, the store didn’t have any.
“That’s what sparked the idea,” Green said.
While studying at the University of Wisconsin- Superior, Williams was awarded a research grant to pursue the project. To learn more about the topic, Williams took the same journey that Ellie takes from Superior to the Shipwreck Museum.
When Williams died, she left behind the unpublished manuscript. The first time reading it was bittersweet, Green said.
“You could hear her telling the story,” Green said.
Green worked for months to self-publish the book, which was released in October. It was a healing experience, she said.
“It’s amazing because it’s out there,” she said. “I keep going to Amazon every day and just looking at it.”
Green says even though the book is written for elementary school students, it tackles tough subjects like tragedy and grief. At the end, there’s a memorial page that lists the names of all 29 men who went down with the Fitzgerald, including the eight from Wisconsin.
“The kids, they need to know about certain things,” Green said. “It’s a cute little story, they’re going to remember it. They’re going to learn about it.”
Throughout the story, Ellie carries a compass that belonged to her late grandfather. At the Shipwreck Museum, she holds up the compass to the Fitzgerald’s shiny brass bell. It was recovered from the wreck site in 1995 and serves as a memorial for the families. As she looks at the two objects, she realizes that they both hold the memories of those lost.
At the end of the book, Ellie brings a snow globe from the museum to school for show-and-tell, and tells her classmates the story of the harrowing storm the Fitzgerald’s crew faced that November night.
Green hopes Ellie’s story will be enjoyed by children in Wisconsin and beyond, honoring her daughter and those lost in the shipwreck along the way.
“Wisconsin Life” is a co-production of Wisconsin Public Radio and PBS Wisconsin. The project celebrates what makes the state unique through the diverse stories of its people, places, history and culture.
