Lighthouses Archives - Page 10 of 13

The Mystery of Poverty Island’s Sunken Treasure Chests

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

Poverty Island Lighthouse, U.S. Coast Guard Archives

Poverty Island is located in northern lake Michigan and one of several islands marking the entrance to Big Bay De Noc and Green Bay, as in the bay in lake Michigan, not the city. As shipping traffic increased on the Great Lakes it was decided that a light was needed to guide ships safely thru the chain of islands at the entrance to Green Bay. The U.S. Lighthouse Board commissioned a Lighthouse to be built on Poverty island in 1874 using the same design as the Lighthouse on Sturgeon Point near Harrisville on Lake Huron, ( you can read my post HERE) The Light was automated in 1958 and by 1965 the Lantern room at the top of the tower and the lens had been removed and replaced with an exposed electric light. The Light was permanently deactivated and abandoned in 1995 and the old discarded lantern room laying on the ground was retrieved and used to restore the Sand Point Lighthouse ( you can see my post HERE)

The Old abandoned Lighthouse, that’s on my ” Bucket List” of places to photograph, looks over the waters where treasure chests full of gold were tossed overboard into Lake Michigan. There are several theories of where the chests came from, one of them being, Jesse Strang the ” King of Beaver Island” and the leader of a Mormon colony on Beaver Island with the gold was collected from his followers. The plausible theory is that during the Civil War, a shipment of gold from Napoleon Bonaparte was being transported thru the great lakes down the Mississippi to fund the Confederate army. When a Union ship began attacking, the captain had the crew throw the treasure chests overboard in the waters off poverty island, so the gold could not be used by the Union Army, with the intention of retrieving it later.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

It would really mean a lot to me if you Subscribe to Lost In Michigan

The Lonely Lighthouse Keeper and the Dahlia

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

In the late 1800’s, many of the lighthouses that guided ships around the great lakes were isolated from civilization, and the keeper along with their assistant, or their family, lived a lonely life with little contact to the outside world. The lighthouse tender Dahlia would make visits to the lighthouse carrying supplies and the officer responsible for inspections of the lighthouse. The visits of the Dahlia also meant the keeper would get a “treasure” chest not filled with gold or riches, although possibly their meager pay, but they would get a chest filled with books for the keeper to read. When the Dahlia would return the keeper would exchange the chest for a different one, and a list of books written on the lid would verify all the books were with the chest, if not, there would be hell to pay, or maybe they would just take it our of their salary. I would assume they would just swap chests from lighthouse to lighthouse, but I would think a lonely lighthouse keep must have looked forward to getting a new set of books to read. it’s not like they had satellite internet back then or even AOL to dial up let alone a telephone to use.

P.S. since I am on the subject of books, I thought I would update you on my latest project. I posted on facebook asking if there would be interest in me publishing a book and the response was overwhelmingly positive. So now I am in the process of taking some of my most popular posts and assembling them into a book. It’s gonna take me some time to go thru and edit and fix my grammar, and you know what I am talking about if you have read many of my posts. I hope to have a book out in late spring or early summer, if I get a little sparse in posting, it’s because I am deep into working on my book. Right now I am in the process of finding a printer, and yes I plan to have them printed in Michigan.

P.P.S. if you’re wondering, the lighthouse in the photo is of the Crisp Point Lighthouse, you can read about my trip to the lighthouse HERE

If you wanna know when I post something new hope you will subscribe for email updates

[fbcomments]

The Old Mackinac Lighthouse: Like an Old Sailor

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

The Old Mackinac Lighthouse, at the tip of the lower mitten, stands faithfully along the shoreline looking out at the magnificent green bridge that took over its duties. It stood for many years watching over the ships that passed thru the straights, and guiding them safely by as it’s light pierced the darkness. After the mighty bridge was built with lights that strung across the two peninsulas, the old lighthouse was no longer needed, like an old sailor that knew how to operate a steam engine. Now it stands next to the bridge that replaced its job, but it still enjoys telling visitors of days gone by.

If you love lighthouses like I do, I hope you will check out my Michigan lighthouse calendar, I only have a few left, and my other calendar is sold out, and this one is sure to be gone soon too. you can check them out HERE

I hope you will Subscribe to Lost In Michigan

[fbcomments]

Michigan Stairways to Heaven

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula, Waterfalls .

The stairway to Iargo Springs on the AuSable River

It seems like some of the most beautiful places in Michigan involve climbing stairs, and for someone like me that is allergic to stairs, it can make getting to these places a little challenging. I know it’s going to be an arduous trip when there is a warning sign at the top or bottom of the stairs telling you how many steps there will be. Even though it can be a lot of work transcending the stairway, I find in the end it’s always worth it, not only to see the magnificent beauty at the other end of the stairs, but to be able to say you did it. Some of my favorite places in no particular order are: Iargo Springs, Tahquamenon Falls, Sable Falls, Arch Rock on Mackinac Island or the spiral staircase of any lighthouse.

The stairway to Sable falls in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

The stairway at Point Iroquois Lighthouse

I hope you will Subscribe to Lost In Michigan

[fbcomments]

Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, Thumb .

The Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse and Lifesaving Station near the tip of the Thumb aided mariners for over a century, beginning in 1847. That year the U.S. Lighthouse Service built the first lighthouse on this site to mark the turning point of Lake Huron into Saginaw Bay and to warn of the shallow waters. Catherine Shook became Michigan’s first female light keeper when she took over for her husband, Peter, after he drowned in 1849. In 1857 the lighthouse and dwelling were replaced with the present 89-foot tower and attached house. In 1908, the brick assistant keeper’s house was built. The lighthouse was fully automated in 1934. Five years later the last keeper retired, and the lifesaving station, made up of 15 buildings was decommissioned.

I posted this slideshow I made on Facebook and thought I would post it here also in case you missed it, or if you’re like my dad, and not on facebook.

I hope you will Subscribe to Lost In Michigan

[fbcomments]

The White Rock Lighthouse, Remembering a Great City Lost in the Fire

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, Thumb .

The town of White Rock on Lake Huron between Port Sanilac and Harbor Beach has a very interesting story to tell. The town was named after a large white boulder that stood near the shoreline of Lake Huron, and by 1776 it was the largest village in the territory. It was used as a boundary marker for the northern point of the Treaty of Detroit with the Ottawa, Chippewa, Wyandot and Potawatomi Native American nations signed on November 17th 1807. In the 1830’s, the town was a thriving port, and in 1856 a lighthouse was built to safely guide ships into port. The community, along with the lighthouse, was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1871. The great fire also occurred on the same day as the Great Chicago Fire, and while Chicago was rebuilt, White Rock never grew to be the large town it once was, and the lighthouse was never rebuilt. In 1996 the privately owned White Rock Memorial lighthouse was built.

P.S. If I ever get the chance to build my own house, I would build a lighthouse, even if it was in the middle of a subdivision miles away from any lake.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

To make sure you don’t miss a post, I hope you will Subscribe to Lost In Michigan

The Ghost Lightkeeper at the Old Presque Isle Light

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Lighthouses .

I find a lot of interesting stories on the Internet, and we all know if it’s on the internet it must be true, ( wonder what font works well for sarcasm) anyways, I found this story about the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse being haunted by a former keeper.

George Parris and his wife moved into the keeper’s cottage in the 1990’s to run the museum and give tours. Sadly George died at the lighthouse in 1992, and since his passing, the light mysteriously comes on at dusk and goes off at dawn, which is strange since the light is supposedly disabled. Air National Guard pilots have even reported seeing the light and visitors who climb to the top claim to see a face staring back at them from inside the light fixture. George loved the lighthouse and showing visitors around the grand old structure, he was also known to play pranks on the visitors, now maybe he is playing one last prank from beyond the grave.

P.S. if you are wondering why the light is on in my photo, I had a little fun with photoshop.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

If you like my posts, it would mean a lot to me if you will subscribe for email updates

The Journey To Crisp Point Lighthouse

Posted on October 22, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

I have a goal of visiting every lighthouse in Michigan, and I have seen most of the lighthouses that are easy to access, but now I need to start working on those, not so easy to see, lights on the Great Lakes. Crisp Point lighthouse is the “other light” on Whitefish Point. The Whitefish Point lighthouse north of Paradise is pretty easy to get to, but the Crisp Point lighthouse is about 20 miles of dirt road thru the Upper Peninsula forest. West of Tahquamenon State Park on M123 you head north on County Road 500 which ain’t to bad of road, but then you get to County Road 412 which is a seasonal road and that road is a winding twisty road thru the woods. When I was there ( in October of 2016) the road had standing water about every couple hundred yards, and you need to drive about 7 miles to the lighthouse down this road. Thankfully I drive a jeep, and it was not much of a problem for me, but I could see it being a problem for the average passenger car.

So I am heading down the road, fording the water holes, getting deeper and deeper into the wilderness and there ain’t no cell service, voice, text or internet on my phone out there in middle of whitefish point. Then I get to a point in the road where there is a sign on the side of the road marking the location where two sisters were stranded for 13 days in there SUV in April of 2015. I am hoping I don’t have any breakdowns or anything. There are signs about every mile saying there is an emergency telephone at the lighthouse, which must have been added after the sisters got stranded.

After about 20 minutes of driving the seasonal road, I rounded a curve and there was Lake Superior and the top of the lighthouse peeking out over the trees. I get to the lighthouse and a couple people come out to greet me saying “ we were wondering if we were gonna get any visitors today” it was a husband and wife from Minnesota that were volunteer light keepers for a few days, and they were camping at the lighthouse welcoming visitors.

After taking some photos and visiting with the Lighthouse Keepers, which you can follow their blog HERE, I made the trek back to civilization. I took me an hour to get from the lighthouse to Tahquamenon Falls, but it was well worth the trip. If you have the time to do it, I would highly recommend it, just make sure you have a reliable car, or better yet, a truck or SUV, and you have plenty of gas, I burned about a ¼ tank getting there and back, and I would say to make sure you have some water and food just in case.

If you like my posts I hope you will subscribe for email updates

[fbcomments]

The Ghostly Tale of the Rear Range Lighthouse

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Lighthouses .

While I was researching the history of the old Saginaw River lighthouse, I came across some interesting stories of the old lighthouse being haunted. The current lighthouse was built in 1876 in a swampy area north of Bay City to guide ships into the mouth of the Saginaw River, replacing an earlier light that was built in 1831. The Lighthouse was deactivated in the 1960’s, but still used by the coastguard as living quarters until the 70’s, when a new station was built across the river. Servicemen stationed there claimed to have heard footsteps inside the old lighthouse, even though he was the only one there and all the doors were locked.

The mystery of the footsteps are believed to be one of two light keepers that died while serving at the lighthouse.Peter Brown was appointed Keeper of the old Lighthouse in 1866, being disabled he had help from his son, and his wife Julia to maintain the light. Keeper Peter Brown passed away in 1873 before the new range lights were built, but his family remained at the station, and Julia was placed in charge.

The new lighthouse was opened, and Julia served as head keeper until 1877, when George Way, whom Julia had married, was placed in charge of the light. Julia was made first assistant keeper, and served in this role until the position was abolished in October 1882. The position was reinstated the following spring, but the coast guard appointed Leonidus Charlton as the first assistant keeper. Keeper Way passed away in November 1883, and sixty-seven-year old Julia left the station, which had been her home for seventeen years. There are rumors that Julia may have murdered her husbands, to be Head Lighthouse keeper, but that has never been proven and it may be the spirits of the old lighthouse keepers that remain at the lighthouse.

The Lighthouse is on Dow, or I guess now it’s Dupont’s property, and is only open to the public on special occasions.

If you love Michigan lighthouse and ghost stories, be sure to check out the book Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses by Dianna Higgs Stampfler and available at bookstores and Amazon HERE.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

It would mean a lot to me if you Subscribe to Lost In Michigan

The Haunting at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Lighthouses .

At the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula is one of Michigan’s oldest and largest lighthouses, It was built in 1858 to guide ships into Grand Traverse Bay. It is believed that former Lightkeeper and Captain Peter Nelson still haunts the old lighthouse. Nelson settled in Northport and became the lighthouse keeper from 1874 to 1890, but some say he never left. Volunteers at the lighthouse have claimed to hear voices in the hallway and footsteps on the hardwood floors.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

If you like my posts it would really mean a lot to me if you Subscribe to Lost In Michigan

« Previous Page