"I can think of no other edifice constructed by man as altruistic as a lighthouse. They were built only to serve."- George Bernard Shaw
In July 2024 we spent three weeks traveling throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.). During our second week we stayed at a campground on the Keweenaw Peninsula. Although we spent a great deal of time exploring various sites in the area, we also stopped during our travels to see a bunch of lighthouses along the way. Lighthouses have long been a shared interest of ours. Although we no longer plan our travels around them, we don't miss an opportunity to visit them if we find them along our way.
Mendota/Bete Grise Lighthouse
On July 21, 2024 we drove north on the Keweenaw Peninsula heading to Copper Harbor. On our way we drove to Lac La Belle and Bete Grise, where we found the Mendota Lighthouse.
Also, known as the Bete Grise Lighthouse, it was built in 1895 to mark Laclabelle Harbor. The 42-foot-tall tower is attached to a steep-gabled keeper's dwelling. The light was discontinued in 1956 and became a private residence in 1996. The owner restored the lighthouse and dwelling, found and reinstalled the original Fresnel lens, and the light was relit in 1998 as an private aid to navigation. Because the grounds are privately owned, we had to view the lighthouse from across the water, but what a lovely, peaceful setting!
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| Mendota/Bete Grise Lighthouse |
Eagle River Lighthouse
Our plan for July 22, 2024 was to visit as many lighthouses and waterfalls as we could on our way to hike Mount Baldy and Brockway Mountain. Our first lighthouse of the day was the Eagle River Lighthouse, located on the south bend of the Eagle River. The current lighthouse was built in 1874 with a 24-foot-tall square brick tower attached to a small dwelling. The lighthouse was discontinued in 1908 and was sold as a private residence. Currently it serves as a holiday rental.
Unfortunately our view of the lighthouse from a nearby lane was partially obstructed by trees, but better photos can be found in the location's Vrbo page.
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| Eagle River Lighthouse |
Eagle Harbor Lighthouse
Eagle Harbor Lighthouse is located at the west end of Eagle Harbor on the Lake Superior coast. The current brick lighthouse was built in 1871 and is now part of the Keweenaw County Historical Society's Light Station Museum Complex. The complex includes the lighthouse, a Maritime Museum in the old fog signal building, the Keweenaw History Museum in the old U.S. Coast Guard Station garage, and the Commercial Fishing Museum in one of the assistant keeper's dwellings.
The lighthouse itself is a red brick structure with a 44-foot-tall octagonal tower rising up from one corner of the building. It's original 4th order Fresnel lens is on display in the building while a modern optic continues to shine from the tower.
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We wandered around the rooms inside of the lighthouse before exploring the grounds. To watch a video of the lighthouse, click here.
July 22, 2024
Range lights were established at Eagle Harbor to guide ships past a reef and safely into the harbor. Built in 1877, the range lights were located on the southern side of the harbor. The rear light was shone from a rectangular tower on the lake-facing gable of a 1-1/2 story keeper's dwelling. The front light was exhibited from a windown in a 24-foot-tall wooden tower located on the shore. The range was discontinued in 1912 and sold to a private owner who moved the rear range lighthouse to another location along the shore of the harbor.
We were able to get a good photo of the rear range lighthouse from the grounds of the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse during our visit there.
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| Eagle Harbor Rear Range Lighthouse |
Keweenaw Waterway Upper Entrance Lighthouse
July 23, 2024
We drove out to the peninsula's McLain State Park on a blustery day to walk on the rocky beach looking for agates (we didn't find any) and to see the Keweenaw Waterway Upper Entrance Lighthouse. This light is located at the end of the breakwall at the state park, 9 miles north of Hancock. It marks the entrance to the Portage River, a canal which crosses the peninsula and provides a shortcut for mariners traveling to and from the Keweenaw Bay. The 50-foot square modern steel tower was built in 1950 and remains an active aid to navigation. It's not your typical lighthouse, but we were able to tick another Michigan lighthouse off of our list.
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| Keweenaw Waterway Upper Entrance Light |
Ontonagon Lighthouse
July 24, 2024
During a drive south of the Keweenaw Peninsula to see some waterfalls we also stopped to see the Ontonagon Lighthouse, built in 1866. One of the oldest lighthouses in Michigan, the 1-1/2 story rectangular cream brick building is the second lighthouse on the site. The structure was built on a high above-ground basement to protect the living areas from floods. It's square light tower is 39 feet from the ground to the focal point and has a polygonal lantern room with an iron gallery. The light was discontinued in 1963 when a new light and foghorn were installed at the end of a nearby pier. The lighthouse was officially closed in January 1964 when it was leased to the last keeper and his wife as a residence. The light was removed from the tower and is now housed at the Ontonagon County Historical Society Museum. The lighthouse was officially transferred to the Historical Society in 2003 and tours of the lighthouse are now available to the public.
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July 24, 2024
The Ontonagon River empties into southern Lake Superior where a bar formed, preventing ships from using the river as a harbor. It was believed that if the ships couldn't enter the harbor, the harbor would need to be extended out into the lake. As a result, two piers were built entirely of wood in 1851.
However the wooden piers were no match for the ferocious Lake Superior storms. After the Soo Canal locks were finished in 1855 opening Lake Superior to the lower lakes, two 900-foot piers were built by the federal government.
In 1875 while work on the piers was underway, an open framework light was placed near the outer end of the west pier. Later, when the pier was extended, the light was moved further out into the lake. In December of 1899, this first light was washed away in a storm.
The light was replaced in 1900 with a 20-foot-tall square, pyramidal open framework tower with an attached watchroom and a cast iron lantern.
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Sand Point (Baraga) Lighthouse
July 24, 2024
The Sand Point Light Station, located on the west side of Keweenaw Bay in the Ojibwa Campground and Recreation Area in Baraga, was first lit in 1878. The 36.5-foot square brick tower is located on a gable end of the 1.5-story brick dwelling. The tower's 5th order Fresnel lens was replaced by an automated steel skeletal tower at the shoreline in 1922, which is still an active aid to navigation. The lighthouse is privately owned by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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| Sand Point (Baraga) Lighthouse |
Although the lighthouse is closed to the public, we were delighted to discover a bald eagle perched in a tree on the lighthouse grounds and spent some time watching it as it looked out over the water.
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Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light
July 25, 2024
The Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light, also known as the Portage Lake Lower Entry Light, is located at the southeast entrance to the Portage River from Lake Superior near the town of Jacobsville. The lighthouse, built in 1920, consists of a timber crib foundation and concrete pier, on top of which is a one-story concrete machine room topped with an octagonal 31-foot steel tower and a circular lantern. Accessed via White City Park, the pier is open for those who want to walk out to view the light, as we did, but the lighthouse itself is closed. The active aide to navigation is automated and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
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Portage River (Jacobsville) Lighthouse
July 25, 2024
The Portage River (Jacobsville) Lighthouse, built in 1870, stands on a bluff overlooking the Keweenaw Bay near Jacobsville on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The light guided ships to the lower entrance of the Keweenaw Waterway. The light was discontinued after the new Keweenaw Waterway Lower Light was built on a pier in 1920. The lighthouse was transferred into private ownership in 1958. The current owners are working to restore the lighthouse to its 1869 style.
The keeper's cottage was added to over the years, but was originally a two-story brick building with 8 rooms and a kitchen. The 51-foot tower was made from local sandstone and was topped by a 10-sided cast-iron lantern. An enclosed brick passageway allowed the keepers to move from the dwelling to the tower without having to go out into the weather.
The lighthouse is not open to the public. We drove to the end of a road leading to the lighthouse and took our photos from the parking lot outside of a fence that surrounds the property.
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| Portage River Lighthouse |
* All photos and videos are the property of the owners unless otherwise noted. *
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