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1914 Plum Island Station Crew. Seated from left to right are George H. Moe (#1), Captain John Christianson (keeper), and Daniel Magnussen (#2). Standing from left to right are Wellington G. Lockhart (#3), Adolph Tostenson (Sub), Richard Johnson (#6), Melvin Peterson (#7) and Mathew Jacobson (#5). Robert Gunnerson (#4) is missing from the photograph. The numbers designate which surfman position they held. Source: John Christianson Family
The Plum Island station house was built in 1896 using the Duluth-style designed by George R. Tolman, the only surviving Duluth-style Life-Saving Station of six originally constructed on the Great Lakes. The station sits on a 325-acre uninhabited island in northern Lake Michigan, between Northport and Washington Island, and is located near the northeast point of Plum Island, 2-3/8 miles northwest by north of Pilot Island Light.
This station, as a USLSS and USCG facility, operated down to 1991 when it was replaced by a seasonal facility located on Washington Island, was operated as a Spring/Summer seasonal rescue detachment from Station Sturgeon Bay Canal. The Washington Island Coast Guard Station was closed in October 2022 due to a shortage of personnel affecting the entire military branch. This closure was part of the Coast Guard’s adjusted operational plans for 2024, which included transferring crews to their parent command.
This list is a work in progress ... email us (friendsofplumandpilot@gmail.com) with your name, years and ranks if we've missed you. Thank you for your help in gathering this data!
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