Hidden a few feet under the surface of the water in Lake Superior is Stannard Rock.  It is about 24 miles offshore and somewhere between the Keweenaw Peninsula and Marquette.  After the hulls of several ships were cut open by this submerged “can opener” a lighthouse was built in 1883 to warn ships of the dangers that lurked below.

In the lighthouse house service, it is known as a Stag Station since many remote lighthouse was manned by men who were not married. Because of its remote location, it was given the moniker of “The loneliest place on earth.”

The interesting thing about the human species is we can endure a lot of hardships, but it helps when we face challenges together. We have always been social creatures relying on one another for support and compassion and being isolated from one another one of the most difficult things we can do. I guess that is why solitary confinement is punishment for prisoners that don’t behave. Telling people to stay isolated from one another seems like a form of punishment but at least we have the internet and communications with each other. I could not imagine being stationed in a northern Michigan lighthouse without any form of communication and not knowing what is going on in the world until the supply ship comes once a month. That must have been a great day when they finally installed radios in the remote lighthouses.

Life would not be the same for me if I could not share my stories with you so thank you for taking the time to read them. It gives me great joy knowing people enjoy reading them.

P.S. I have not been to Stannard Rock Lighthouse on my quest to see all the lighthouses in Michigan. I hope to someday but for now, this is a pic from Wikipedia.

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This old lighthouse built in 1866 stands on a small point on Copper Harbor. The light was automated in 1919 and then replaced by the steel tower next to it in 1933. The tower remains an active aid to navigation today but the old lighthouse sits empty and is part of the Fort Wilkins State Park. When you look on a map it seems like you can drive out to the lighthouse but unfortunately, the point it sits on is landlocked by private property. In years past the state park had a contract with a company to ferry tourists to the lighthouse. On my last visit, the park was still looking for someone to operate a ferry. I hope they will find a way to allow visitors to tour the old lighthouse. For now, you can see the lighthouse from Astor Shipwreck Park along the shoreline near the state park.

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I always have to stop and get some pics of lighthouses when I am nearby. I was north of Rogers City on the coast of Lake Huron so I had to stop by and visit the 40 Mile Point Lighthouse. I will visit even in the middle of winter if it is open to the public. A Michigan historical marker proudly stands near the lighthouse with some facts and reads:

During the late 1800s, the U.S. Lighthouse Board created a system of coastal lights along Lake Huron’s Michigan shore so that mariners would always be within sight of at least one. With a light south of Forty Mile Point on the Presque Isle Peninsula and one to the north at Cheboygan, and eighteen mile stretch of shoreline remained unlighted and dangerous. In1890 the board recommended that a light be built at Forty Mile Point. The light was completed in 1896, and Xavier Rains served as the first keeper, The lighthouse was transferred to Presque Isle County in 1998, but the Coast Guard retained ownership of its Fresnal lens. The site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

If you are in the northeast lower peninsula stop by for a visit. Besides the lighthouse, they have other things on display including a pilothouse from an old freighter.  You can also see the remains of an old shipwreck on the beach if it is not covered up by the high water levels.

Standing along the Lake Michigan Shoreline is a small lighthouse tower.  It is located near the boat launch in Empire in memory of Robert H. Manning. He was born in 1927, and lived in Empire his entire life. He was an avid fisherman and would stay out after the sun had set. He would tell his friends and family how nice it would be for the town of Empire to have a lighthouse to guide people back to shore. After he died in 1989, his family and friends raised funds and built a lighthouse in his memory near the boat launch at Empire Village Park. The lighthouse was illuminated in Manning’s memory, and the Coast Guard recognizes it as a private aid to navigation. What could be a more wonderful way to remember a loved one, than building a lighthouse that shines a light in the darkness guiding others to safety.

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The Fort Gratiot Light standing near the Mouth of the St. Clare River in Port Huron is the oldest lighthouse still standing in Michigan. It was first constructed in 1825 and the first lighthouse on Lake Huron. It was rebuilt in 1861 and still stands as an active aid to navigation today.

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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.

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I looked all around the internets and through the books that I have. I found little information on this unique looking lighthouse. It stands at the city beach in New Buffalo at the mouth of the Galien River. The town did have an official lighthouse built way back in the 1830s and it was demolished in the 1850s.

Strangely I could not find when the current light was built. I fould a reference that said it was a replica of the original light. I am not sure about that since the original was built with stone and not cinder blocks and vinyl siding.

The current light does not show up on the Coast Guard’s official list of aid to navigation. It also does not appear on Terry Pepper’s website or Lighthouse Friends website. It as if this cute little light on the beach was shunned and forgotten about.

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