Point Iroquois Light Station

On a September 2013 trip to Upper Michigan, we made a stop at the historic lighthouse at Point Iroquois.  This light station is located on the beautiful shore of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  We had visited Sault Ste Marie in the morning and found that this lighthouse was only 20 miles to the west.

The grounds of Point Iroquois were lovely.  There was a great walking path that took you around the lighthouse and out along the shores of Lake Superior.  In addition to being able to climb the 72 steps to the top of the tower the grounds held a museum that gave you insight into the families that called Point Iroquois Light Station home.

Point Iroquois Light Station was built in 1870 to guide freighters along the treacherous shores of Lake Superior between Whitefish Bay and the St. Mary's River.  In 1902 the originally building was added on to provide more living space.  The complex had room to accommodate the head lighthouse keeper along with two assistants and their families.  This group formed their own community complete with a schoolhouse and teacher for their children. 

I really enjoyed my time strolling around the lighthouse grounds.  Here is a photo I took as I walked along the path near the lake.

It shows the complex with the addition housing areas.

Stop by my Squidoo page to hear about more of the lighthouses we visited on this trip Michigan Upper Peninsula Lighthouses

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McGulpin Point Lighthouse

My husband and I were in Mackinaw City visiting the popular Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse when I saw a sign for another lighthouse nearby.  We followed the signs a short distance out of the city and came upon a delightful lighthouse called McGulpin Point lighthouse.  This lighthouse is beautifully restored and has been furnished in the décor of the times.  The grounds are lovely and visitors are welcome to climb the tower and tour the house.   I first photographed the lighthouse from the parking area and then went inside to learn a bit of history about the light and then I climbed the tower for a view of the area.

  I discovered that this lighthouse was among the first in the area and helped to guide ships through the Straits of Mackinac.  The shipping had dramatically increased with the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 and by the 1850's there was a real need for lighthouses in the area.  Congress approved the plans for McGulpin point lighthouse in 1854 and it was lit for the first time in 1869.  It was in service until 1906 when it was no longer needed because of the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse

After visiting the lighthouse and the gift shop, I decided to take a walk down the trail in back of the lighthouse.  I had seen the "Big Rock" advertised so I wanted to walk to the water to see what it was about.  The trail was only about 1/2 mile but it was on a rather steep incline at times.  It was a beautiful walk down through the woods and ended up on the shore of Lake Michigan.

When I got to the shore and found the rock, I was surprised.  It was literally just a big rock.  The rock is said to be 33.8 feet in horizontal circumference and weighs 54 tons.  Other than the size there was really nothing remarkable about it.  I took a look and enjoyed the view of the Mackinac Bridge in the background and then made my way back up the hilly trail.  I was able to capture this photo of McGulpin lighthouse on my way back up.

 

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Presque Isle Lighthouses

Located on Presque Isle near Alpena in Upper Michigan you will find two beautiful historic lighthouses. In September of 2013 my husband and I took a drive along the Lake Huron coast and visited these lighthouses. We were traveling along Grand Lake Rd and we found a sign that took us off the main road and onto Presque Isle. When we got to the end of the road we turned right and found the Old Presque lighthouse.

  This lighthouse was first put into use in 1840. It is one of the oldest lighthouses still standing on the Great Lakes. The thirty foot tower is opening for the public to climb from May through October. From the tower you can get a view of Lake Huron and the coastline. The lighthouse is an interesting looking structure and definitely has an old feel to it.  Some people claim it is haunted.

Old Presque Isle Lighthouse

After photographing Old Presque Isle lighthouse we went back up the road about a mile and we came to New Presque Isle lighthouse. New is a rather relative term for this lighthouse which was built in 1870.


The grounds to the lighthouse also include a keeper's house that is not attached to the tower. It was built in 1905 and has been restored into a very interesting museum. There is also a building that now houses a gift shop.

When we arrived at this lighthouse I thought it really looked familiar. The top of the structure and the railings were painted a green color much the same as the Seul Choix lighthouse that I had seen on Lake Michigan. Upon further research, I found they were constructed by the same architect during the same time period. Here is a photo I took of the New Presque Isle lighthouse.  

For more information on my travels to Michigan lighthouses stop by my Squidoo pages at Michigan Upper Peninsula Lighthouses and Lake Huron Lighthouses

Forty Mile Point Lighthouse

On our visit to the Mackinac Island area of Michigan we took a drive out of Mackinaw City to search for more lighthouses. We discovered the above lighthouse, Forty Mile Point lighthouse, along the shores of Lake Huron. It is located approximately forty miles southeast of Mackinaw City. In 1890 the lighthouse board requested this lighthouse to be built to fill in the gap between the lighthouses in Cheboygan and Presque Isle. There was 50 miles between them and that left a dark spot for ships to loose their way along the shorelines. The lighthouse at Forty Mile Point was completed in 1896. We found the lighthouse to be very similar to the one at Big Bay Point, a lighthouse we had visited and stayed in on a previous visit to Michigan. In researching the lighthouses I found they were both built in the same time period. The lighthouse at Forty Mile Point is now part of a park that is open to the public. I was able to walk around the grounds and climb the tower to the lighthouse. There were several interesting out buildings along with a small gift shop. Here is a view of the shoreline from just below the lighthouse.

Stop by my Squidoo pages to read more about my Michigan lighthouse adventures Michigan Lighthouses

Round Island Lighthouse

Mackinac Island is one of the most popular places to visit in Michigan. Each day tourists board the ferries that take them from either Mackinac City or St. Ignace to spend some time on this beautiful island. As you approach the island the ferry passes a charming little lighthouse called Round Island Lighthouse.

Here you see a photograph of the lighthouse as we passed by it on the ferry. This lighthouse was built in 1895 and has been kept in shape by a major renovation project in the 1980's. It is only reachable by boat in the summer or snowmobile in the winter months, however I found that with a good telephoto lens it can be viewed and photographed from several spots on the island. My first view of it was on the ferry, but the ferry was moving and I had to be quick to get this photo. After the ferry landed, I walked on the Main street to the left on the island and was able to get this view from the shoreline.

Later in the day we were walking along the shoreline in the other direction and as the shore makes a curve back toward the dock, I found that I could get another view of the lighthouse. I was a bit further away this time but with a 300mm lens, I was able to capture this photo.

The tower of the lighthouse is a solid red color and the attached house is red on the bottom and white on the second story. This gives it a very distinctive look. Stop by my Squidoo pages to read more about my Michigan lighthouse adventures.Michigan Lighthouses

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse

This historic lighthouse is found in Mackinaw City just before you cross the Mackinac Bridge to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The lighthouse has been in operation since 1889, guiding ships through the waters of the Straits of Mackinac where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet. When we visited in September of 2013, it was a cloudy and misty day. You can see in the photo above I was able to capture just a portion of the 5 mile Mackinac Bridge in the background. The rest of the bridge disappeared into the misty fog. In researching a bit about the lighthouse, I found that it served to guide ships for over 65 years through the dangerous waters. In 1957 it was decommissioned. It was no longer needed because the lights on the newly constructed bridge served to guide the ships. Today visitors can tour the lighthouse and visit the exhibits to get a feel for the importance this lighthouse played in the history of the shipping industry. I have photographed many lighthouses and this one has a very distinctive look and feel to it. I love the brick work on the tower. Here is a photo I took from the water side.

Read more about my adventures in photographing lighthouses. Lighthouse Photography

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse Postcard by lighthouseenthusiast
Browse Mackinac lighthouse Postcards

Grand Harbor Michigan Range Lights

This is a photo of the front range light for Grand Harbor Michigan. This range light is located on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan just west of Munising. On my travels around the Great Lakes area, I have found that they often use a set of range lights instead of a lighthouse to guide the ships. Range lights are a pattern of lights, usually on the shore, that help to guide the ships through narrow passageways. The first time I saw a range light was in Bailey's Harbor in Wisconsin, but I have seen several since then especially along the Michigan coast of the Great Lakes. The ones that I have seen consist of two lights a front and a back range light.

This black and white light is the rear range light for Grand Harbor. You will notice that it looks much more like a typical lighthouse than the front range light pictured above. In the case of Grand Harbor, I found the front range light located on the shore and the rear range light just across the street in a wooded area. For more information on Michigan lighthouses I visited in the Upper Peninsula, stop by my article at Michigan Upper Peninsula Lighthouses.