Charles Robinson

Charles Robinson was the third Keeper stationed at the Sleeping Bear Point Life-Saving Station.¹  

Born on May 5, 1874, to Edward Robinson and Frances Byer Robinson, Charles grew up in Grand Haven, near the Grand River². He had ancestral ties to the Odawa people, as his grandparents were of Odawa heritage and trace their lineage to what is now the Grand River Band of Ottawa Indians³.

At age 19, on August 1, 1893, Charles married Wilhelmina “Minnie” Catherine Walters in Grand Haven.⁴ They had their first child, Edward Robinson, on March 11, 1894. Their second child, Charles Nelson Robinson, was born on June 20, 1896, and their third child, Frances M. Robinson, arrived on November 25, 1898. 

In 1900, Charles began working at the Grand Haven Life-Saving Station as a surfman.² While he was there, he and Minnie welcomed their fourth child, Kenneth Robinson, born on July 12, 1901. 

Grand Haven's Life Saving Station crew standing outside the station next to a life boat. Front row (L to R) William Walker, surfman, Jakob VanWeelden, Frank Vogel. Back row (L to R) Heman Castle, Charles Peterson, Charles Robinson. C. 1903.
Photo Courtesy of Loutit District Library

Grand Haven's Life Saving Service crew outside of the station. Front row (l to r): Charles Robinson, Jakob VanWeelden, Charles Peterson, Heman Castle. Back row; Peter Deneau, John Lysaght, Johnny Welsh, Frand Vogel, William Walker. C. 1903
Photo Courtesy of Loutit District Library
 

In 1902, Charles and his family moved to the Sleeping Bear Point Life-Saving Station. It took the family nine days to travel the 165 miles by schooner.⁵  Charles became Sleeping Bear Point Life Saving Station's first crew member, earning the title of Surfman #1.⁶ Each life-saving station assigned surfmen a number that showed their seniority and skills. Surfman #1 was the highest rank below the Keeper and had extra responsibilities. In contrast, lower-ranked surfmen often had more basic tasks. Charles served at Sleeping Bear Point for over ten years, earning $65 a month, which later increased to $70 in March 1908 (equivalent to about $2,399 today).⁶ 

As the Robinson family waited for the building of their house to be completed, they lived in a tent. In this tent, there was a large cookstove where Mrs. Robinson would bake bread.⁵ Charles and Minnie had two more children while he worked at Sleeping Bear Point. Lyle Edward was born on September 10, 1903, and Dale Robinson was born on October 14, 1905. 

Lyle Robinson and Frances Robinson Gustofson had fond memories growing up at the life-saving station, where their childhood was marked by both adventure and adversity. In winter, the boys hunted and trapped with their foxhound, Ranger, by their side. The children attended school located on the corner of what is now the junction of M-109 and Glen Haven Road. They would walk over the dunes to get to school each day, but if the snow was too deep in the winter they would walk the beach instead. If there was a storm or the wind was blowing hard, Charles would walk to Glen Haven to bring the children home from school. "They would all hang on to each other by their coats, pull stocking caps down over their faces, and follow their father home."⁵

Lyle remembers one year that the lake froze between the mainland and South Manitou Island. Two of his brothers walked out on the ice towards South Manitou Island and met two men from the island to deliver their mail. Everyone got back safely, but the next morning the "ice went out following a roar."⁵

The dangers of their environment were starkly illustrated in a newspaper article reprinted in the Grand Rapids Press on November 2, 1934:⁷

On Christmas Eve, 1914, Capt. and Mrs. Robinson and their family, wishing to attend a party in Glen Arbor, tramped the sandy trail. The party ended late, and it was far into the night when the family began the ascent of the dune.

Breathless from the climb, they paused to rest a moment at the familiar Coast Guard patrol post on the summit, and the captain's watch in the flare of a match showed 2 am. After which they charged down the sandy slope towards home.

At the late winter daybreak, the first rising member of the family caught the others from their beds with a horrified cry that Sleeping Bear point was gone. Incredulous, they tumbled out to see. Gone it was. There stood the mountain, as serene and majestic as it had been the day before, but the end had shorn away as sharply as if sliced by a giant knife, so the great ridge ended in a sheer wall of sand perhaps 40 feet high. Where before a tongue of sand dotted with fish shanties and drying racks had reached northeastward into the bay, there was only grey water. Sometime between 2 a.m. and daybreak Lake Michigan noiselessly sucked down some 10 acres of land with everything on it, including a large area which the Robinsons had traversed.

Dale Robinson and his brothers eagerly retraced the footprints they had made in the sand a few hours before until they came to the edge of the precipice, where the tracks ended abruptly. Forty feet below at the base of the new made cliff, the skeleton ribs of an old, long buried ship rose from the water.

This connection to nature was reflected in their father's dangerous work as a surfman. On October 3, 1904, during a thunderstorm, Surfman John Dwiggans was tragically killed by a lightning strike while on lookout duty. Robinson was the one who discovered his fellow surfman. 

“The lookout where Dwiggins was stationed is on top of the Bear. [Charles] Robinson went to relieve Dwiggins at 7:50, as he was to go on duty at 8. He found the door of the lookout closed, but not fastened, and when he opened it, Dwiggins was lying on the floor, dead and there was a strong smell of [gas] in the room. Two dazzling flashes of lightning and heavy peals of thunder rang out as Robinson was climbing the bluff. Dwiggins had been down to his home, near by, only 10 minutes before to get a drink, and was probably just entering the lookout and fastening the door when the bolt came that killed him.” ⁸ (Leelanau Enterprise, 8, October 1903) 

Sleeping Bears's Life Saving Service crew standing outside the station. Left to Right: Captain William Walker, Herman Allere, Jesse Bell, John Dwiggins, Charles Robinson, George Mastain, Bob Smith. 
Photo Courtesy of Loutit District Library

Robinson's hard work was recognized, and on February 21, 1913, he was promoted to Keeper, making him in charge of Sleeping Bear Life Saving station and the crew.⁹ He was responsible for training surfmen, maintaining equipment, and keeping daily records.

According to Lyle Robinson, after the Lyle gun was used in a rescue, the "bullets" were recovered. The name of the boat, number of men saved, and date were painted on them. Lyle said "the gun was used many times in foul weather to take men off the schooners by breeches buoy."⁵

Charles Robinson and the crew, ca. 1902-1903.
NPS Photo

Charles Robinson and Charles E. McCauley in civilian clothes at Sleeping Bear Point Life Saving Station in 1914.
NPS courtesy of Helen Oliver

In 1915, Charles and Minnie faced a heartbreaking loss when their oldest son, Edward, died of jaundice at age 20.² Edward had also been a surfman like his father. Records show that along with Edward, Charles’ sons Lyle and Charles also served as surfmen.¹⁰ 

Also in 1915, President Woodrow Wilson signed the “Act to Create the Coast Guard.”¹¹ This act combined the US Life-Saving Service with the Revenue Cutter Service, helping organize coast guard efforts across the country. In 1920, the Coast Guard's structure changed, confirming its duty to help ships in trouble on the Great Lakes. Despite this change, many life-saving methods and equipment remained the same. 

On September 1, 1916, Charles transferred to the Frankfort Life-Saving Station, where he continued to serve as Keeper for the U.S. Coast Guard.¹² On October 15, 1917, while serving at the Frankfort station, Charles and Minnie welcomed their seventh child, Edna. 

By 1930, Charles transitioned from the Keeper to a Warrant Officer.² His primary job was to serve as a technical expert to Coast Guard officers, lead trainings, and provide support on complex rescues. 

Tragically, Minnie passed away from a brain tumor on August 14, 1931.¹³ 

Charles officially retired from the Coast Guard in 1932.¹⁴ 

On October 28, 1934, Charles lost another child. Dale, age 29, went duck hunting on Little Platte Lake with a friend. It is believed their canoe tipped, and both men became stuck in the mud. They were found just a few inches below the water.¹⁵ 

Charles passed away on April 4, 1950, leaving behind a legacy of bravery, service, and a strong connection to his community. He and Minnie were buried together in Maple Grove Cemetery in Empire Township.² 

Sources 

1. “Sleeping Bear Point Lighthouse.” Michigan Lights, Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, http://www.michiganlights.com/SleepingbearpointLSS.htm. 

2. "Charles Edward Robinson." Find a Grave, Find a Grave, 2021, www.findagrave.com/memorial/76119072/charles_edward_robinson. 

3. “The Durant Census of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan. Part 3, The Durant Census Roll.” Compiled by Larry Wyckoff, https://www.academia.edu/31965154/The_Durant_Census_of_the_Ottawa_and_Chippewa_Indians_of_Michigan_Part_3_The_Durant_Census_Roll.

4. "Michigan, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-68NQ-BYF?view=index : Nov 5, 2024), image 437 of 538; Michigan. Department of Vital Records. 

5. Gustafson Robinson, Frances and Robinson, Lyle. "Interview by Charles Parkinson." 2 Oct. 1972. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. 

6. Menz, Katherine B. Historic Furnishings Report Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Harpers Ferry Center, 1983.  

7. Traverse City Record Eagle, April 26, 1962, Pg. 19, Traverse City, Michigan, US https://access.newspaperarchive.com/traverse-city-record-eagle/1962-04-26/page-19.

8. Nelson, W. C. Leelanau Enterprise, October 8, 1903, page 2 Leelanau Enterprise 8 October 1903 — Digital Michigan Newspapers Collection.

9. “Sleeping Bear Point Life Saving Station.” Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy. 01/12/07. http://www.michiganlights.com/SleepingbearpointLSS.htm.

10.  

1. "Edward Robinson." Find a Grave, 15 Apr. 2011, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76120589/edward_robinson.

2. "Archive Record." Benzie Area Historical Museum Catalog Access, Benzie museum, https://benziemuseum.catalogaccess.com/archives/30412. 

3. "United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WWFR-73N2 : Sat Mar 09 13:43:45 UTC 2024), Entry for Charles Nelson Robinson, 31 December 1918. 

11. "Chronology of Coast Guard History." United States Coast Guard History, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, https://www.history.uscg.mil/Research/Chronology-of-Coast-Guard-History/#:~:text=1915%20Congress%20passed%20the%20%22Act,act%20on%20January%2028%2C%2.

12. “MANITOU COAST GUARD STATIONS GET NEW CAPTS.", Leelanau Enterprise, November 24, 1932, front page. Leelanau Enterprise 24 November 1932 — Digital Michigan Newspapers Collection.

13. “Wilhelmina Catherine “Minnie” Walters Robinson.” Find a Grave, Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76118249/wilhelmina_catherine_robinson.

14. “MANITOU ISLANDS TO HAVE CHANGES IN COAST GUARD”, Leelanau Enterprise, November 10, 1932, front page. Leelanau Enterprise 10 November 1932 — Digital Michigan Newspapers Collection.

15. “TWO FRANKFORT BOYS LOSE LIFE, HUNTING ON PLATTE", Leelanau Enterprise, November 1, 1934, front page. Leelanau Enterprise 1 November 1934 — Digital Michigan Newspapers Collection.

Picture 1: “Loutit Library Photo Archive.” Loutit District Library, https://loutitlibraryarchive.catalogaccess.com/photos/7021.

Picture 2: “Loutit Library Photo Archive.” Loutit District Library, https://loutitlibraryarchive.catalogaccess.com/photos/7023.

Picture 3: “Loutit Library Photo Archive.” https://loutitlibraryarchive.catalogaccess.com/photos/7022.

Picture 4, 5, 6 “Sleeping Bear Point Lighthouse.” Michigan Lights, Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, http://www.michiganlights.com/SleepingbearpointLSS.htm.