10/09/2026
57 years ago. It was October 9th, 1969. A wicked sou'easter wind was pummeling the Algoma harbor with huge waves crashing over the piers.
Two fishermen from Milwaukee had come up to Algoma hoping to get some big salmon that had been moving close to shore. They had ventured out onto the harbor breakwater after trying their luck on some nearby streams. But Frank Pletcher and Wallace Schulist soon found themselves in a very dangerous situation. One rogue wave that was "as high as the lighthouse" according to witnesses, swept Pletcher off the pier. The water was 35 degrees.
At that time, Officer Ronald Leist was starting his shift and got the call on his radio. He quickly drove to the harbor, left his standard gear in the squad car, grabbed a life ring and made his way out onto the pier. When he met up with Schulist, the two men almost had pulled Pletcher back up onto the breakwater.
Then another massive wave swept them all into the near-freezing water of Lake Michigan.
Word had reached Mayor Arthur Dettman and Jerome Kostichka who went out in the Mayor's cruiser, The Pirate and they managed to find and rescue Pletcher from the turbulent waters. But despite their attempts, there was no sign of Officer Leitz and Wallace Schulist. Eventually days later, after long search efforts, they were found. The entire rescue attempt was captured was captured by Wayne Harmann who had gone down to the harbor to take photos of the massive waves.
Officer Ronnie Leitz, husband, father, an expert swimmer and certified scuba diver, had answered the call and went above and beyond the call of duty on this fateful day.
His story echoes in history and was one of the inspirations for the label on The Maelstrom Saga Series 4: The Last Beacon.
