When most people visit the shores of Lake Superior their focus is on the lake and its rugged shoreline.
But on Friday, the focus was turned inland as dozens of people gathered for the official Saxon Harbor Reconstruction Dedication Ceremony.
On July 11, 2016, a storm dumped nearly 10 inches of rain on the region in less than 8 hours.
“I truly had never seen rain or lightning like that, not before, and certainly not since,” said Grace Hines.
She and her husband Bill have owned Harbor Lights bar and restaurant at Saxon Harbor for nearly five decades.
Grace and others who sought refuge from the storm that night at the bar could only watch as the harbor around them was destroyed by the flooding Oronto River.
“As we watched everything by lightning flashes, it was obvious we were at the mercy of what all was feeding the Oronto,” she said.
Grace got emotional recalling the devastating seen the next morning, none more heartbreaking than learning of the loss of Montreal Assistant Fire Chief Mitch Koski who got swept up in the flash floods.
“The disaster through the late afternoon and evening would have been more endurable had we not lost Mitch,” said Grace.
She and others still in the harbor were cut from the rest of world as the Oronto took out the roads and bridges into the harbor.
“The morning light brought a vision I don’t think anyone was ready for, certainly not us,” said Grace. “With the amount of boats out in the lake or piled up on the shore or piled around corners, it was obvious there was so much work to do.”
While it was impossible for those gathered on shoreline Friday to not recall the events that led to such destruction, this day was about how the community responded.
“The storm wasn’t the first, but by far it was the worst and before you is what time, effort, and funding can accomplish,” said Grace.
Looking at Saxon Harbor today, it’s hard to find signs the destruction.
The campground has been rebuilt higher up on the hill. The marina was re-dredged. 81 new slips were built. The road and bridge were rebuilt.
All of Saxon Harbor built back not just as it was but better.
“Saxon Harbor has been around for many, many years. It’s used by residents all around northern Wisconsin as a destination and access Lake Superior. It’s a revenue source for the county. To have this closed for over four years was really a challenge for the county,” said Eric Peterson.
Peterson is the Iron County Forest Administrator who has seen the rebuild through from the very start.
He says every storm that comes through now still leaves him a little anxious, but he feels better knowing what went into rebuilding the harbor.
“The streams were armored with rip-rap on both sides to provide more resiliency. $160,000 concrete spillway was put in to divert flood waters in the event of a large storm like we’ve had numerous of the last few years,” said Peterson. “Just the way the marina was reconstructed, a little bit stronger, a little bit more rock. We’re trying to just make it more resilient to these events that seem to be happening more often.”
It cost $14,673,018.27 in federal, state, and local dollars to rebuild the harbor.
Governor Tony Evers, Senator Tammy Baldwin, and Congressman Tom Tiffany all attended Friday’s ceremony to congratulate the county on the massive undertaking as well as impress the importance of the funding used to make it happen.
“I look forward to continuing to work together to strengthen our infrastructure, bolster that resiliency that’s part of us as Wisconsinites like the folks here in Saxon have exemplified,” said Evers.
That resiliency is evident in the harbor and the community.
While the harbor belongs to Iron County who is charged with maintaining it, Grace Hines argues it belongs to everyone who uses it.
And with that ownership, comes responsibility.
“It’s up to all of us to keep this facility, this jewel of the south shore, as beautiful as it is today,” said Grace.
You can learn more about the reserving harbor slips and campsites on the Iron County Forestry website.
