Pointe au Baril Lighthouse Ontario, Canada

In 2001, we went to Bayfield, Wisconsin, for our third wedding anniversary. While there, we took an Apostle Islands Lighthouse Cruise, and fell in love with the idea of seeing lighthouses. Growing up in Wisconsin, we have always been blessed with the Great Lakes, and lighthouses were always present. Since that cruise we came to realize that we had been taking these impressive structures for granted, so we began traveling to Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and Lake Huron to seek out these incredible historical treasures. While in Bayfield, we were also lucky enough to see a folk band called "Tanglefoot" playing at Big Top Chautauqua. Tanglefoot is an exciting Canadian folk band that sings about the Great Lakes and Canadian folk lore, culture, and history. They sang a beautiful song entitled "Emmeline," which is about Emmaline Madigan, the last lighthouse keeper of the Pointe au Baril Lighthouse in Ontario. The song tells about Emmaline keeping the light alone after her husband died and children moved away. She would climb up the tower each night to light the lamp. While she waited to make sure the light stayed lit, she would play her violin over the waters of Pointe au Baril. We thought this was the most beautiful song because it spoke of music and lighthouses, two of our passions. Three years later, when our baby girl was born, we knew that "Emmaline" was the perfect name for our beautiful baby. After her birth, we contacted Emmaline Madigan and shared our story with her. The next summer we drove to Pointe au Baril, Ontario, to meet our daughter's namesake. We had an incredible time. Emmaline Madigan took us out to the lighthouse in her boat and shared stories of her time there. We continue to stay in contact and hope to go back in 2007.