At the time the Fourteen Foot Shoal Lighthouse was constructed in 1929 it was never intended to be occupied by a keeper. The lighthouse sits offshore from Cheboygan in Lake Huron. It marks a shallow spot that is, you guessed it, fourteen-foot deep. The light was to be remotely operated by radio from the nearby Poe Reef Lighthouse.

In 2012 the lighthouse was made available to government agencies or non-profit organizations for preservation. Because no group came forward to maintain the old beacon it was sold at auction in September of 2012 for $133,000. I am not sure what the owners of the lighthouse plan to do with it but many cormorants have taken up residency on the one remotely operated lighthouse. The large black fish-eating birds have built nests on several of the lighthouses in the straits and their feces are extremely destructive to the concrete and paint of the lighthouses.

If you want to see the 14 foot shoal lighthouse Nautical North Family Adventures sails past it on their shipwreck cruise. you can learn more about it on my post HERE

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The treacherous Lansing Shoals are located in Northern Lake Michigan at the western end of the Straits of Mackinac. Originally a lightship was stationed over the shoals to warn ships of the dangers that lurk below. In 1927 a concrete light station was constructed to replace the lightship. The circles along the base were originally portholes that were covered up along with the windows when it was automated in 1976. The portholes were for the living quarters and machinery in the “basement” of the lightstation.  A few years after it was constructed in December of 1929 the spray from a winter storm froze over all of the doors exiting the lighthouse and the men were trapped inside for three days, although they had supplies to keep them nourished during their confinement.

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St Helena Island lies on the western side of the Straits of Mackinac and the lighthouse was constructed in 1872 to guide ships past the island. This was the first Michigan lighthouse to lose its keeper. In 1922, the lighthouse was automated and the tower was fitted with a tank of acetylene gas, a pilot light, and the “sun valve” recently invented by Nobel Prize-winning engineer Gustav Dalén. When the sun set, the temperature would drop slightly, causing the valve to open and acetylene to be released against the pilot flame. The light would then relight itself and shine throughout the night. With the sunrise the next morning, the valve would close. The St. Helena Island Light innovation was successful, and in the years after 1922, many other Michigan lighthouses would be refitted with sun valves.

The light is illuminated by electricity instead of acetylene and remains an active aid to navigation. The lighthouse is maintained by the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (GLLKA) 

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Guiding ships into the western end of the Straits of Mackinac the White Shoal Lighthouse sits miles away from land in northern Lake Michigan. The light was a marvel of engineering when it was constructed in 1908 and compleated in 1910. The lighthouse with its unique “candy cane” red and white stripes, is the only lighthouse on the great lakes with a helical style paint scheme.

The tower is 121 feet tall and has living quarters inside for the keepers to maintain the beacon. It is also unique because it is topped with an aluminum lantern room instead of cast iron.  The lighthouse was automated in 1976 and is now maintained by the White Shoal Light Historical Preservation Society.

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In 1867, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers dredged the Saginaw River channel so that larger vessels could navigate the river. In 1876. a pair of lighthouses were erected in a range light configuration. It is generally believed (but not well documented) that the Saginaw River lighthouse was the first place where range lights were installed.

The “front” range light was constructed on a square timber crib beside the western river bank, and took the form of a 34-foot tall painted-white pyramid framework of timber similar in design to that being used for pierhead beacons throughout the district at the time. With its upper half sheathed, a small enclosed room was created beneath the gallery for the storage of oil and supplies, in which the keeper could seek shelter while tending the light during inclement weather conditions.

The “rear” range light was constructed 2,300 feet south of the mouth of the river. Because of swampy ground, timber piles had to be driven deep into the ground to provide a solid foundation on which timber forms for the concrete base could be erected and filled. Atop this concrete foundation, a square two-story Cream City brick Lighthouse keeper’s dwelling 26 feet 6 inches was constructed. Integrated into the northwest corner of the dwelling, a tapered 53 feet tall square tower with double walls housed a set of prefabricated cast iron spiral stairs. Winding from the cellar to the lantern, these stairs also serve as the only means of access to the first and second floors by way of landings on each floor. Each was outfitted with tightly fitting arch-topped iron doors designed to stem the spread of fire between floors. The living quarters consisted of a kitchen, parlor and oil storage room on the first floor, and three bedrooms above. The tower was capped with a square iron gallery, supported by five cast iron corbels on each of its four sides. An octagonal cast iron lantern was installed at its center, with a fixed white fourth-order Fresnel lens placed at a focal plane of 61 feet.

The range lights were converted to electricity in 1915. The light in the rear tower was deactivated in 1960 when a new channel was dredged requiring a new set of range lights to mark it. The Structure was used as the residence for men assigned to the associated US Coast Guard facility until the 1970s. At that time, the Coast Guard Station was moved across the river to a new building in order to have more space. The lighthouse remained empty until 1986. Dow Chemical Company, which owned the surrounding land, purchased the facility and boarded it up. In 1999, the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society approached Dow to collaborate to restore the lighthouse.

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