Miners Castle
By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water,
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Here upon the southern shore of the Great Lake we call Superior, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow set the tale of Hiawatha, the legendary warrior of the Ojibwe (Chippewa) tribe, and his Dakota wife, Minnehaha. Attending grammar school in Michigan, I first read Longfellow's epic poem at the age of nine, and was fascinated with the way language could be used in pulsing, rhythmic cadences. In the course of a dinner conversation with a dear friend recently, talking about my visit to the region, I realized that The Song Of Hiawatha was probably my first exposure to the magic of poetry, which kindled my love of language. I would very soon discover Edgar Allan Poe, and then Vachel Lindsay's Congo, with its pounding, onomatopoeic chants, and the doors to a lifelong love of language were opened.
On the shores of Gitche Gumee rise the beautiful cliffs and rock formations of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Here stands the turret of rock known as Miners Castle, one of the most famous landmarks along the shoreline. From an observation deck west of the tower, the beautiful deep blue of Lake Superior extends to the horizon. With the shore of Ontario, Canada more than a hundred miles away, it is a very big lake indeed, an appropriately grand and beautiful setting for an epic tale of passion and adventure.