TWO HARBORS, Minn. — Under the glow of Split Rock Lighthouse, thousands gathered Monday evening to remember one of the Great Lakes’ darkest nights — the loss of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.

The annual ceremony, one of only three times each year the beacon is lit, drew a sold-out crowd of more than 4,000 visitors. Bells tolled 29 times — one for each person lost when the freighter sank in Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975.

“It’s majestic,” said a couple from Burnsville, looking out over the rumbling waves. “The 50th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald — we love it up here anyway, so any excuse to come.”

For many, the tragedy still feels close to home. Gregg Engel of Monticello, who first came for the 40th remembrance, recalled being in middle school when the news broke. “The teacher ran into

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