Category Archives: Lighthouses

Huron Lightship

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The Huron Lightship was commissioned in 1921 and retired in 1970 after years of faithful service on Lake Huron illuminating the way for ships at the mouth of the St Clair River. She is permanently moored in Port Huron and serves as a museum.

P.S. If you are wondering, I had to turn on the light in Photoshop.

P.P.S I have a full story about the lightship in Lost In Michigan Volume 2 available by clicking HERE

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The Light Keepers House

Posted on by Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

This brick house with white siding faces the channel into the West Bay harbor at Grand Marais. It was built in 1906 for the lightkeeper that maintains the light for the channel. It replaced a shack made out of scrap lumber that was described as “a miserable shanty” by the lighthouse inspector.  The Coast Guard took over the house in World War II and used it until 1982.  two years later the Grand Marais Historical Society converted the home into a museum which it currently operates to the present day.

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The Retired Lighthouse

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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 demolition funds were raised by 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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Mission Point Lighthouse

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After a ship hit the rocks off Mission Point and sank in the 1860’s construction on the Mission Point Lighthouse began. It was not completed until the 1870s because of the Civil War. The white-sided little lighthouse guided ships around the Grand Traverse Bay until 1938 when an illuminated buoy was placed offshore. The light shining from the lighthouse was no longer needed.  After the lighthouse was deactivated visitors continued to visit the area including the lighthouse. The tip of the point became a park operated byPeninsulaa Township and you can visit the lighthouse and walk along the shoreline. It’s a beautiful drive out the lighthouse from Traverse City through the cherry orchards and wineries.

If you go don’t forget to stop to the Mission Point General Store HERE not far away on the east side of the point. If you are visiting in the evening be sure to stay for the sunset over the bay and the Leelanau Peninsula. Of all the lighthouses I have visited in Michigan I think this one is a favorite because of the natural beauty surrounding the lighthouse plan on spending some time walking around and enjoying your visit.

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Saginaw River Lighthouse

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The Saginaw River lighthouse stands about a mile from the mouth of the river. The lighthouse works in conjunction with a beacon closer to the mouth. When sailors in the Saginaw Bay align the two lights they know they are in the channel entering the river. The Saginaw River lighthouse was one of the first lights to use this “range” technique.

The lighthouse has been decommissioned for years and is currently owned by Dow and is surrounded by property owned by the company. Visitors are not permitted to visit the lighthouse except for special occasions like the Tall Ship Celebrations.

Coasties who were stationed at the lighthouse before it was abandoned have said they have heard strange noises while living in the old building. You can read more about the hauntings in my post HERE

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Sputnik of the Great Lakes

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The light at the end of the break wall in Alpena was constructed in 1914. It was built out of steel replacing two previous lights that were made from wood and deteriorated in northern Michigan’s harsh climate. It is not really a true lighthouse like other ones in Michigan. It is more a beacon and the keeper lived nearby in a house provided to him. Because of the way it looks with its framework, some people have affectionately called it Sputnik after the Soviet Union satellite.

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The Menominee Light

Posted on by Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

This historic red light stands at the end of the Menominee North Pier. At one time it had a catwalk that went out to it but that has been removed when the light was automated in the 1970s. The Menomonee River is the border between Michigan and Wisconson. If the light was on the other side of the river Michigan would have one less lighthouse.

I took this pic a few years ago and did not stay in the town of Menominee long. It seemed like a really nice town and a great place to explore. I hope to get back there soon. It is a long ways south of US-2 and especially a long drive from the Lower Peninsula. I have a feeling that the next time I visit it will be after taking the S.S. Badger across to Wisconson.

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You could own this Historic Michigan Lighthouse

Posted on by Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

The historic Mendota Lighthouse is for sale, and You are probably wondering where Mendota is located, I know I was. The lighthouse is named for a nearby mining company and stands near a man-made canal on Bete Grise Bay in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The canal was dug to Lac La Belle in 1865. A light was placed to guide ships into the canal but it was used infrequently a few times and then abandoned altogether. The original light was removed a few years after it was constructed.

It was about two decades later at the end of the century that the current lighthouse was built, not to guide ships into the canal, but to help them find refuge. Bete Grise Bay on the inside of the Keweenaw was a safe harbor for ships to find shelter from a storm. The current lighthouse was built to mark the bay and help sailors find it when Lake Superior turns angry.

In 1933 the lighthouse was decommissioned and sold to Heimo (Paddy) Jaaskelainen who owned it until his death in 1996. Gary Kohs from Royal Oak purchased the lighthouse after learning about it on a motorcycle trip through the Keweenaw. He purchased it for $500,000.  The historic lighthouse is back up for sale as of June 2020 for the asking price of $495,000. If you ever wanted to own a historic lighthouse here is your chance. You learn more about the lighthouse at their website HERE

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Point Iroquois Lighthouse

Posted on by Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

The Tahquamenon Falls and Whitefish Point is a favorite spot for tourists in the Upper Peninsula. If you take M-123 it will take you the quickest way to see the falls. Did you know that if you take a slight detour over to Brimley, you can take West Lakeshore Drive along Lake Superior. Along the way is Point Iroquois Lighthouse and it is a great place to stop for a break on an adventure around the Upper Peninsula. The keeper’s house is now a museum although I have yet to go inside since I always seem to visit out of season. The tower is usually open for visitors to climb all year long.

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Michigan’s Field Stone Lighthouse

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Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state in the union. I have been slowly visiting all of them but sometimes I come across a lighthouse that I did not expect. I saw this lighthouse tower constructed with fieldstone standing in Scidmore Park where the Rocky River combines with the St Joseph River in the southwestern town of Three Rivers.

I was not able to find any history on the little inland lighthouse but it looks as if it has been standing quietly in Three Rivers for a long time.

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