Remembering The Eastland

111 years ago today, July 24th, 1915, the Eastland was bound for a day trip across Lake Michigan filled with employees of The Western Electric Company. Over 2,500 people boarded the boat, docked on the Chicago River, and less than an hour later, 844 men, women, children, and crew were killed in what was the largest loss of life from a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes.

 

So, how is it possible that over 90 years later, the name "Niels Petersen" was broadcast in an edit suite at the Oprah Radio Studios in 2008 on a speaker that wasn't even plugged in?

 

One of the most unbelievable experiences of my life, and it's why every July 24th, I make sure to remember the victims of the Eastland and to visit the resting place of Niels and his son Royal, who also perished.