Split Rock Lighthouse's keeper captures beauty of North Shore through photography
TWO HARBORS, Minn. — A Minnesota man has a deep-rooted connection to one of the state's most beautiful historic landmarks.
It led him to a job he never imagined having and another passion he discovered because of it.
Hayes Scriven's relationship with the Split Rock Lighthouse goes back to 1985, when he visited the site with his parents. He even proposed to his wife Jenny on the nearby Day Hill.
But his official connection to the Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior's North Shore was cemented in November of 2019. That's when he replaced longtime keeper Lee Radzak, who retired after 36 years.
"I manage the day-to-day operations of the site, I oversee all the operations of our program, the gift shop, the facility maintenance," explained Scriven.
He also excitedly shares the history of the lighthouse and marvels in its construction in the early 1900s.
"They brought in everything by boat and up over the 120-foot cliff. They had to bring all that material up the cliff somehow and then build the system to bring everything up over it," said Scriven.
Like his predecessor, Scriven, his wife Jenny and their two kids moved into the residence just a few hundred feet from the lighthouse.
"We have 160,000 neighbors who come by every year and say hi to us," he laughed.
Not long into his tenure at Split Rock, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. That's when he picked up a camera.
"I used it as a way to cope. Trying to get through lockdowns and keep myself busy. I had a lot to do here but I also needed an escape," said Scriven.
Photography became a source of comfort as Scriven honed his skills.
In December 2020, on the night of the Edmund Fitzgerald Beacon lighting he took one of his favorite photos.
"It had just started to snow and all the sudden, the beam had stopped rotating because it's on a clockwork mechanism. I took the shot and I looked at it and like oh. I didn't know the camera could do this," said Scriven.
He continues to highlight not just Split Rock but the entire North Shore in all four seasons.
"I wouldn't trade this job for the world," said Scriven.
Scriven's photography is featured in his calendars. The 2025 calendar features scenes from Minnesota's North Shore and the Oregon Coast.
He also has one dedicated to the night sky. Both are available through his website.
