The Silver Lake Sand Dunes are mostly known as a playground for ORVs and dune buggies. In the southern end of Silver Lake State Park stands the historic Little Sable Point Lighthouse. After the April 1871 beaching of the schooner Pride. To aid in navigation around the hazard, the United States Congress approved funding in 1872 for the erection of a lighthouse. The location’s inaccessibility by road delayed the completion of the lighthouse until 1874. A house was constructed to board the keeper, his assistant, and their families. The tower was painted white in 1899 to make it more visible to ships during the day and was restored to its original brick in the 1970s. The lamp was electrified and automated in 1954. After automation, a keeper was no longer needed and the house and ancillary buildings were razed.

P.S. The word Sable is used to name a lot of places in Michigan. In French it means sand. With all the sand along Lake Michigan, Little Sable Point is a logical name And Big Sable Point is in Ludington State Park.

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If you have ever driven through Marine City you have probably noticed the lighthouse that stands in a downtown park along the St. Marys River. It seems a little out of place and that is because it was moved to its current location after the old tower was no longer needed. The tower was built on Peche Island, A Canadian island at the mouth of the Detroit River near Belle Isle. Constructed in 1908 it stood for years guiding ships in the river. It was decommissioned in 1983 and after learning of its demolitions funds were raised my Marine City to move the tower to the city’s Waterworks Park. It proudly stands, not guiding ships but looking over the city that gave it a new home after it was retired.

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For those of us who have lived in Michigan a long time we know not to rely too much on the weather forecast, especially if they say it is gonna be nice a sunny tomorrow. Inevitably tomorrow gets here and the weather is less than ideal. When I am up north and it’s cold and raining I like to go ” into town ” and on this particular day I took a trip to Charlevoix. The light at the end of the pier is probably not the most ascetically pleasing of lights on the Great Lakes, but I imagine to the sailors caught in a storm, seeing the beacon shining on a gloomy day was a welcomed sight. I take a lot of photos of lighthouses, and my favorites are pics on stormy days. I figure that is the purpose of a lighthouse, and it’s the friends that stick around on those not so perfect days that you can rely on.

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This post is a little different than what I normally post. Dianna Higgs Stampfler was kind enough to send me a copy of her book Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses. It tells the story of several great lakes Lighthouses and whose spirit might possibly be haunting them to this day. I liked that it explored the history of the lighthouse along with the hauntings. She has done a lot of research for the book and has done a wonderful job of telling their stories making it a pleasure to read. If you love Michigan lighthouses and like a good ghost story be sure to check out her book. By the way, she used my photo of the Saginaw River rear range lighthouse for creating the image on the cover.  You can get a copy of her book on Amazon HERE or learn more at her facebook page HERE

It is a little bit of a trip south of the Sleeping Bear Dunes to visit the red white and green lighthouse but it is well worth the trip.  Completed in 1858 the Point Betsie Lighthouse, north of Frankfort, is the oldest building in Benzie County. Standing along the shores of Lake Michigan marking the southern entrance to the Manitou Passage. In 1875 one of the first life-saving stations was established by the U. S. Life Saving Service at the lighthouse. This was the last manned lighthouse on Lake Michigan, and the last Michigan lighthouse to lose its keeper after it was automated in 1982.

Erosion of the sandy point has always been a problem threatening the lighthouse, and in 1890 a ring of concrete was inserted under the tower. A curved breakwall was constructed at the water’s edge to absorb the energy of the waves crashing into the shore. I am thinking the blocks protruding from the surface of the concrete are there to keep the ice from Lake Michigan from pushing up to the lighthouse, but I could not find anything to confirm this.

Point Betsie Lighthouse is said to be one of Americas most photographed lighthouses, and with its red gamble roof and its green trim, it is a beautiful lighthouse standing watch guiding ships as they pass by. if you want to visit the lighthouse you can find out more at their page HERE http://www.pointbetsie.org/

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On the south side of the Holland Chanel is one of the most photographed lighthouses in Michigan. The 1907 building was built as a fog signal building only. The light stood adjacent to it as a separate structure until 1936 when the Coast Guard consolidated the two by putting a light tower on top of the fog signal. In 1956 the tan colored building was sandblasted and painted red and was affectionately given the nickname of “Big Red”

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this week, you can order them HERE

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