As sunset approaches, what are the daily duties, chores and expectations of a lighthouse keeper? Join storyteller, author and historian Brian “Fox” Ellis as he steps into the role of this most important job, bringing the audience back to the earliest days of our history on the Great Lakes.
This event is in partnership with the Ottawa County Historical Society. From the point of view of a Revolutionary War Veteran, who was also an eyewitness of the War of 1812, attendees will get a glimpse of the first chapters of our life on the Great Lakes. Through diaries and letters, the audience gets an insider’s perspective on the daunting duties, the humor and pathos of this often lonely, but always life-saving job. Weather the storms, carry the barrels of whale oil to the top, keep the wick lit and maybe, just maybe, it will be an uneventful night.
Ellis is an internationally acclaimed author, storyteller, historian and naturalist. He has worked with The Denver Museum of Science and Nature, The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, The Field Museum and dozens of other museums across the country.
He is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences, including the International Wetlands Conservation Conference, National Science Teachers Association Conference and the North American Prairie Conservation Conference, et al.
Ellis has hosted, produced, researched and written several documentaries for PBS. He is the author of more than 30 books, including three books of poetry, a series of biographies, History in Person and a series of collections of folklore, Fox Tales Folklore. He has two collections of stories with lesson plans: Learning from the Land: Teaching Ecology through Stories and Activities, and Content Area Reading, Writing and Storytelling.
Many of his stories are also available on his podcast and YouTube channels. Currently, he is the Director of Outreach & Membership for the Illinois Audubon Society, where he edits their quarterly magazine.
