No video

Could You Make It as a Lighthouse Keeper? (I Couldn't)

What's it like to be a lighthouse keeper? I spent an afternoon with Nick Korstad, the keeper at Big Bay Point Lighthouse on Michigan's Lake Superior, to find out - and learned that being a keeper requires even more work and dedication than I'd imagined.
🎥 My first video from Big Bay Point, "The Invention That Saved a Million Ships": • The Invention That Sav...
✨ Want to support my work? Well, hey, thank you so much. You can learn more about how to keep this thing going at www.patreon.com/alexisdahl.
☕ Find this series valuable, but Patreon isn't for you? You can also help keep this thing going at www.buymeacoffee.com/alexisdahl.
Find Me Elsewhere:
• On Instagram, I upload a lot of nature photos, plus science and adventure stories: alexis.writes
• Want to get semi-monthly e-mails about my latest videos, art sales, and other happenings? You can sign up here: alexisdahl.com/newsletter
• Want to work together or learn more about my work? Contact me at AlexisDahl.com.
• On Etsy, I sell original artwork and stickers: etsy.com/shop/AlexisJDahl
• On Twitter, I occasionally share science news and the occasional thought: alexiswrites
Here are the key (non-Nick) sources I used while researching the story of lighthouse keepers:
The 1927 manual: uslhs.org/sites/default/files...
www.cmich.edu/library/clarke/...
www.nps.gov/articles/lighthou...

Пікірлер: 83

  • @jonlangford7622
    @jonlangford76222 жыл бұрын

    I just don't understand why this video doesn't have 100,000 views. She is doing the whole "science communicator" thing in a cool and unique way. She gets legitimately cool interviews with people who know what they are talking about. It's interesting stuff and KZread just doesn't promote it.

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks, Jon! I really appreciate the kind words. 🙂

  • @katieandkevinsears7724

    @katieandkevinsears7724

    Жыл бұрын

    The KZread algorithm has found Alexis. Her channel is just starting to kick off.

  • @jimsmedley234

    @jimsmedley234

    Жыл бұрын

    Totally agree with your comments. Alexis: I've only just found your channel and I'm hooked. She presents correct, clear and concise information - precisely what I encouraged my students to deliver in my 40+ years as a research scientist and educator.

  • @vesuviusjohn7558

    @vesuviusjohn7558

    Жыл бұрын

    KZread suggested this to me, now I'm hooked.

  • @NicStage

    @NicStage

    Жыл бұрын

    The algorithm is a fickle black box.

  • @michaelmolter8828
    @michaelmolter8828 Жыл бұрын

    Most people don’t understand how light houses are actually used. It’s not so much a beacon denoting a hazard, but a precise location on a map that can be identifiable from a distance. Using at least two light houses, a nautical map, and a compass, you can triangulate your exact location on a waterway.

  • @alexander10000000
    @alexander10000000 Жыл бұрын

    As a merchant mariner myself, I will be be eternally thankful for the lighthouses and the men and women that maintain them. God Speed to them.

  • @pizzaivlife
    @pizzaivlife2 жыл бұрын

    I'm very glad Tom Scott lead me here this summer

  • @C.Schmidt
    @C.Schmidt2 жыл бұрын

    This was such an awesome and wholesome way to spend 15 minutes! Always cool to see someone who is just undeniably an expert talk about their field.

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    Aw, shucks, thanks! I'm always very conscious of how long my videos are, ha, so I'm especially glad you enjoyed this longer one! 🙂

  • @C.Schmidt

    @C.Schmidt

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@AlexisDahl I don't think I'm a good judge of how long videos are... I watched a video from Defunctland that was like 1 hour and 40 minutes about Disney's Fast Pass not too long ago...

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@C.Schmidt Oh, my gosh, ha ha. You are dedicated! Out of curiosity, is there any length of video where you're automatically like, "Nah, that's too much for me?" Or does it totally depend on the topic(s)?

  • @C.Schmidt

    @C.Schmidt

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@AlexisDahl usually depends on the topic for me. I've never looked at the run time specifically as a make or break. But usually around the 30 minute mark videos go from a dedicated activity to something to listen to when doing something else like... eating for example.

  • @skwrk
    @skwrk2 жыл бұрын

    I am from Poland. Your state was probably the least probable place to visit. Was. Love your content!

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    This is such a high compliment. I'm honored, genuinely. Thank you for the kind words!

  • @gypsydildopunks7083
    @gypsydildopunks7083 Жыл бұрын

    I love the creepy lighthouse keeper stories, maybe Scooby Doo had something to Doo with that. Thanks for the video

  • @rustedoutwrench
    @rustedoutwrench2 жыл бұрын

    Would love to see other lighthouses explored specifically the stannard rock lighthouse

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    You and me both! 🙂 I've been interested in chartering a boat to go to Stannard Rock for a while now, but getting inside requires some special permission.

  • @jnooney8225

    @jnooney8225

    Жыл бұрын

    While raising my family i was enraptured with lighthouses and wanted to see each one in Michigan--the state that has the most! However, my husband had other interests and since we were raising 3 kids, I never got to achieve this dream. We did make a dent, however, and this is one that was not open to the public at the time. The one on Whitefish Point is probably one of the best to start with because of the museum there, which is fascinating, and has a wonderful gift shop, besides. I want to go back. But I hope to see this one before I'm too decrepit to travel there!

  • @LibertyMonk
    @LibertyMonk Жыл бұрын

    hearing that euphemism of "gravity decommissioned" was soul wrenching.

  • @bones007able
    @bones007able Жыл бұрын

    Since you were in the area , you should show a tour of all the filming locations from the Movie Anatomy of a Murder... my uncle was a extra in it...

  • @garyzink1927

    @garyzink1927

    Жыл бұрын

    My friend Fritz was attending Northern Michigan University at that time and he said some of his friends were extras in that movie! Probably a good chance my friend, who later owned 2 different places close to the big bay lighthouse, knew your uncle. Wow, small world.

  • @Oddzilla51
    @Oddzilla512 жыл бұрын

    That was awesome! Love lighthouses! My team almost had the chance to investigate one on lake Michigan one year but it fell through, unfortunately! Who wouldn't want to spend the night in a lighthouse and do a paranormal investigation, right? Or, wait, is it just me and the people I know? :D :D Thanks again for a great video!

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🎉 Also, oh, man, that sounds like such an experience! Maybe you'll get another chance like that in the future!

  • @csnide6702
    @csnide6702 Жыл бұрын

    If you really want to try - My area has a Lighthouse Keepers Association where you can volunteer to be a keeper for a month at a time . The Big Sauble Point , White River Light Station (in Whitehall) Little Sauble Point (in Ludington State Park) & Ludington Lighthouse are all a part of this program. Come check it out !

  • @Barblooms
    @Barblooms2 жыл бұрын

    As usual, an excellent video. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and once again, you taught me something I didn’t know!

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    Shucks, thank you! That's such an encouragement.

  • @WilliamEricStone
    @WilliamEricStone Жыл бұрын

    Love this video...And all the videos you make about the UP. Where I live I can see where the Ontonagon river flows into The Lake, ( and when we talk about The Lake, up here, we mean only one; Superior). If I had a million dollars just laying around, I would buy 14 mile point. The lighthouse itself is a total wreak...But to live there and think about what it was like to live in the UP a hundred years ago! He mentions that the lumber for his lighthouse is from Ontonagon county. By the 1890's much of Eastern and central UP regions had been extensity logged...Not so in Ontonagon and Gogebic counties. My house was built in 1940, the lumber came from less than 5 miles away. The winters here are something like most never see...And we like it that way!

  • @calamitykp829
    @calamitykp8292 жыл бұрын

    GREAT VIDEO, ALEXIS! “Aunt Kathy”

  • @aaronwentzel4145
    @aaronwentzel4145 Жыл бұрын

    "There's a lot of history in this country." I love your videos! Thank you!

  • @calamitykp829
    @calamitykp8292 жыл бұрын

    FANTASTIC video again, Alexis!!!

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    Aw, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! 💛

  • @RagnarRocks
    @RagnarRocks2 жыл бұрын

    Can't wait to see what other light houses you visit in the future!

  • @forsbes
    @forsbes2 жыл бұрын

    Such an interesting insight to how much lighthouses really were used, and in some ways continue to be used!

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    That's what I thought, too!

  • @johnjunge6989
    @johnjunge6989 Жыл бұрын

    FYI, just wanted you to know, my favorite SciShow videos are about prehistoric animals and sea creatures, don't know if they we're part of your production. I worked on a house that the owner was a Light House collector. He had a second floor to his home, only accessible by a two person elevator. It overlooked the junction of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. He had tons on lighthouse models and paid for a miniature one to be build near the shore of the Mississippi, almost straight across from his house. He was a mass of lighthouse information!

  • @TheMichiganVagabond
    @TheMichiganVagabond2 жыл бұрын

    Always so informative!!

  • @Altema22
    @Altema22 Жыл бұрын

    Me before this video: Being a lighthouse keeper would be fun! Me after this video: Um, on second thought... Wonderful video, and I had no idea things were so strict. Thanks to all the brave souls who kept the lights burning.

  • @ferrisulf
    @ferrisulf Жыл бұрын

    I had no idea how strict things were for lighthouse keepers! This was a very cool video! I would love to see it with that light back in it!

  • @kenmrock9334
    @kenmrock9334 Жыл бұрын

    Growing up at my grandparents house is Grindstone City I was blessed to see two light houses going off in the distance. Great memories that spark my love for light houses. Thank you for producing this lovely video.

  • @TearyEyesAnderson
    @TearyEyesAnderson2 жыл бұрын

    One of the bad things about owning a lighthouse is that they attract “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms”, according to Ray Bradbury's story "The Fog". :) The beach I used to swim at had a view of a lighthouse, but I don't remember ever spending time there. I also used to live across from a train station, so those both made me enjoy buildings of that type, and think about other forms of transportation besides cars and trucks.

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    Oh, cool! Living across from a train station sounds like it could both be a lot of fun and a bit of an annoyance, ha, depending on how trafficked it is. But that sounds like a cool experience overall!

  • @tetreaulthank4068
    @tetreaulthank4068 Жыл бұрын

    Wonderful video ! Thank you so much for filming this

  • @jeremywales8
    @jeremywales8 Жыл бұрын

    I love lighthouses. Sometimes being out on the water can definitely disorient you. 😆🤷🏻‍♂️ Thank you 🥰❤️‍🔥💎🕯️🤙🏻✨

  • @cliffwhite5552
    @cliffwhite5552 Жыл бұрын

    This is amazing, thanks for making it! ❤

  • @Bemfactor98
    @Bemfactor98 Жыл бұрын

    This is yet another great video. Well done and a sincere thank you for how well this was presented.

  • @garyzink1927
    @garyzink1927 Жыл бұрын

    My friend Fritz owned a place just down the shore from the lighthouse. We took a canoe from lake independence around and past the lighthouse to Fritz's house. At 20' deep and crystal clear water, the whole lake bottom was nothing but giant boulders the size of a house! I'll never forget that sight. Loved your review and reaction. P.S. He mentioned the Huron Mountain Club. Research them lol, but they won't let you. Very secretive and interesting.

  • @bobthiele7737
    @bobthiele7737 Жыл бұрын

    Found these about a month ago and am slowly working through them. I get excited about how things came about or work. Love the videos! Camping in Michigan is great and you've given me a couple of places to stop by.

  • @MaxThriving
    @MaxThriving Жыл бұрын

    Wow! Just Wow! I stumbled across your channel and have viewed this video and the one about the dredge on Touch Lake. Both were excellent. You and your team do a great job. I will be watching more of your work in the future.

  • @sheilafranklin186
    @sheilafranklin186 Жыл бұрын

    So happy to have discovered your videos. And to learn so many new things about this great state we live in.

  • @papadave3084
    @papadave3084 Жыл бұрын

    Yet another great video, Alexis! This prompts me to look up info about Fresnel lenses, how they are made, and what makes them work so well. ~Cheers from Michigan

  • @Omnifarious0
    @Omnifarious02 жыл бұрын

    I just thought of a bit of lore from that area that might interest you. It even inspired a song! The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. 🙂

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yes, absolutely! The Fitz has been on my "considering" list for a while now. I'd like to learn more about the potential mechanisms that might've sunk the ship, but it's definitely something on my radar!

  • @outdooradventureswithfayde6832
    @outdooradventureswithfayde6832 Жыл бұрын

    Like 401 👍. I don't often find a new channel and like it enough to go back and watch much of their other stuff. Well, I love that KZread had one of your videos in the feed and I clicked on it because I've found some amazing videos, like this one! I've always loved lighthouses and imagined what it would be like to live in one and maintain it. You edit the videos quite well, and I can tell you put a lot of thought and planning into making your videos. I love visiting the UP and your videos are so fun to watch and learn about places I've seen and give me new ideas for future adventures. What an awesome channel!! 😊

  • @flatsrat222
    @flatsrat222 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks again for another great story. Well done!👍

  • @pattongilbert
    @pattongilbert2 жыл бұрын

    This was such a lovely watch, as always. :)

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks, Patton! Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @timc2346
    @timc2346 Жыл бұрын

    Great video and very informative.

  • @richysradioroom
    @richysradioroom Жыл бұрын

    Good stuff.

  • @mikeashely8198
    @mikeashely8198 Жыл бұрын

    Big Bay is a nice little town used to go fishing there at Lake Independence. Used to walk along the old railroad tracks from Marquette to Big Bay, there was a factory there that made wooden frames for Henry Ford way back in the day

  • @garyzink1927

    @garyzink1927

    Жыл бұрын

    I wonder, is that huge brick smokestack from ford's factory still in the air there? Haven't been there since the 90s so I'm not sure. It really stood out.

  • @spamllama
    @spamllama2 жыл бұрын

    Great video once again! I was at Thomas Rock Overlook in 2019, and unknowingly at the time took a picture of Big Bay Lighthouse.

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks, Rae! Also, that's awesome! What a fun coincidence.

  • @russmode
    @russmode Жыл бұрын

    I have heard stories of keeper's at the stag stations actually losing there minds, or going insane because of the seclusion. Grand Marais also has a great lighthouse, along with Coast Guard station and museum.

  • @mikeashely8198
    @mikeashely8198 Жыл бұрын

    The federal inspectors must have been Marine Corps drill instructors

  • @timvb2
    @timvb2 Жыл бұрын

    You should go check out Stannard rock lighthouse and the story behind it.

  • @tender-warrior
    @tender-warrior2 жыл бұрын

    for starters, excellent video as always thank you for sharing!! I'm always very excited when you put up something :) but secondly!!! WHAT is the song that starts playing at 0:51??? it's a jam!

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    Aw, thank you! I appreciate it, genuinely! 😊 Also, ha ha, it IS a jam. It's (maybe ironically) called "Won't Return to This Town" by Epocha. I've been getting my music lately through Epidemic Sound, so am not sure how easy the track is to find, but it's a good one.

  • @jerrysstories711
    @jerrysstories711 Жыл бұрын

    My uncle was a lighthouse keeper. He never lost one.

  • @LadyYoop
    @LadyYoop2 жыл бұрын

    Talk about Heaven. wow...

  • @LadyYoop

    @LadyYoop

    2 жыл бұрын

    AND...you rock. 💕

  • @registromalplena2514
    @registromalplena2514 Жыл бұрын

    Wonder if this is the light house that my friend would house sit in the winter.

  • @kevin-gj6ij
    @kevin-gj6ij2 жыл бұрын

    Great video..I hope the previous owners left a copy of Anatomy of a murder.Anatomy of a murder is a Jimmy Stewart movie filmed in Big Bay, Michigamme and Marquette..Alexis if you have not seen it find a way to watch it..Future video idea(maybe) Nick is doing an A+ job at the lighthouse and is a great teacher of the history...Have a great and woderful day!

  • @AlexisDahl

    @AlexisDahl

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks, Kevin! And I've heard of Anatomy of Murder but haven't watched it yet - I'll have to add it to my list for a snowy day. 🙂 But yes! Nick is an absolute gem. Thanks again, and take care!

  • @johnjunge6989
    @johnjunge6989 Жыл бұрын

    BTW, I would have lost my job, dust is not a big deal big to me -- LoL

  • @ballibalarambasak2600
    @ballibalarambasak26002 ай бұрын

    I would ĺike to do this job

  • @211212112
    @211212112 Жыл бұрын

    He needs a carbon fiber or titanium flagpole or something

  • @stevebrey8025
    @stevebrey8025 Жыл бұрын

    Love your video so informative I always learn so much you have the best personality your great on camera keep bringing us Michigan history love it

  • @wmurray23
    @wmurray23 Жыл бұрын

    Bothers me that his glasses were crooked during interview

  • @csnide6702

    @csnide6702

    Жыл бұрын

    maybe that's his style...... or "thing".