We are finally back with a new Michigan mystery. This one includes murder! Let’s dive in.
With the Soo Locks opening in 1855, shipping traffic on the Great Lakes increased along with the need for more lighthouses. The first lighthouse build on the northern end of Grand Island didn’t last long due to poor quality, and by 1865, it had to be replaced. Two years later, a second one was build and fared much better with few changes needing to be made over the years.
The life of the lighthouse for the most part was uneventful. Keepers and their assistant were charged with running it and helping ships navigate Lake Superior. This particular lighthouse might have faded into history if not for a strange incident in 1908 that to this day is unsolved.
Are you a first time reader of Twisting the Myths? Discover more mysteries and monsters like the one below, enjoy a quick tale, or get inspired every month.
A DEAD BODY.
On June 12th in 1908, a body was discovered washed ashore. A man named Van Dusen noticed a sailboat around Au Sable Point by Grand Marais. The boat looked as if it had been through some rough weather with a broken mast. When Van Dusen investigated closer he discovered a dead body wearing the uniform of the Lighthouse Service.
The body had taken a beating and the face was beyond recognition. A tattoo on the arm identified the deceased as assistant lighthouse keeper Edward Morrison who was stations at the north Grand Island Light Station. At first, it was decided he died of exposure.
It was soon discovered that the Grand Island lighthouse had been dark for about a week and a group of Munising residents went to investigate. What they found only confused them and had them second guessing the cause of Morrison’s death.
A MISSING LIGHT KEEPER
George Genery, the head light keeper was missing. Supplies he had brought from Munising sat untouched on the dock. As they searched the lighthouse, they found nothing out of place. Genery’s coat was hung in the boathouse. Morrison’s vest was draped over the back of a chair with papers and his watch in the pockets. Nothing indicated something out of the ordinary had happened.
Authorities began search for Genery. Reports of him at the bar drinking weren’t able to be verified. His wife hadn’t seen him either. She seemed almost unconcerned about him as well. The theory is Genery was known to have a temper. He went through about one assistant a month so it’s not hard to believe his relationship with his wife wasn’t the best either. (Which leads to some to wonder if she murdered both but that seems to be just pure speculation to me.)
WHAT HAPPENED TO BOTH MEN?
There are a few theories to what happened. The first is both were murdered and Genery’s body was just never found. The location of the lighthouse was extremely isolated and the nearest neighbor lived at least seven miles away. Genery and Morrison had been to town to pick up supplies and get paid so some wonder if they were robbed and murdered. The fact that a game keeper they had been quarreling with over poaching game disappeared to Canada adds some fuel to the theory.
The second theory that most agree is the likely is is that Genery murdered Morrison. It’s theorized that because of Genery’s known temper, Morrison said something that set Genery off and he flew into a rage and beat him to death. That would explain the state of Morrison’s body. Genery then put Morrison’s body into a body and sent it out into Lake Superior in the hopes it would vanish into the waves. Genery then went on a bender, fueling the unverified reports of him drinking heavily, before fleeing when news of a body found at Au Sable was reported.
This theory is also weighted by a letter Morrison sent his wife. In it, he told his wife to not be surprised if she hears news of him being found dead along the shores of Lake Superior. He makes note of Genery’s “quarrelsome disposition” and that an “accident” might occur if Morrison were to oppose Genery.
The last theory is that the two men were out on a boat and were hit with bad weather. Genery was thrown overboard and Morrison was knocked unconscious and being thrown about in the boat caused his injuries and death. Many feel this theory doesn’t hold much water as some of the details don’t fit. The two men wouldn’t have gone out on a boat without their coats or before putting the supplies away.
Months later, a second body was found on the shores of Lake Superior. It was never identified, but one can’t help but wonder, if it had been found today, would we have been able to confirm if it was Genery or not? It’s sometimes frustrating to think of these old mysteries and how modern technology could have easily answered them.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE MYSTERY?
Will this murder mystery ever be solved? Who do you think killed Morrison? And what is it about these mysteries do you think hold our attention? Feel free to hit reply or leave a comment.
It’s good to be back monster hunting with you. My next email will arrive on the 28th. Keep your eyes peeled!
Twisting the Myths exists because of YOU!
I couldn’t do this without you. If you enjoy monster hunting with me and reading my stories, consider brewing me a coffee or tea.
Thank you for reading.
Until next time, stay spooked!
I’ll take a guess that Genery killed Morrison then fell overboard when he went out to dump the body. There’s a version of this story that happened when I was a kid.
I'd say the second theory is most likely. Although he probably fled even sooner and in that day and age, it would be easy to vanish to another state.