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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