These 11 Historic Lighthouses In Michigan Are Simply Incredible To See
By Serena Maria Daniels|Published January 24, 2016
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Serena Maria Daniels
Author
Serena Maria Daniels is an award-winning freelance journalist in Detroit, by way of Chicago, by way of the West Coast. She writes about Michigan for OIYS. Serena enjoys learning about language and culture and taking road trips with her beagle Ralph.
Some say that the Midwest is landlocked and void of the picturesque beaches that make the coasts beautiful. Those who say that obviously have never been to Michigan. Not only do we have some of the best fresh-water beaches in the country, but we also are home to some of the best shoreline structures around. Specifically, Michigan has the most lighthouses of any state in the country, thanks to the state’s early days as a major water passage. We’ve come across some of the most beautiful. Check them out.
Situated along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan near Ludington, construction on this site started in 1867, making it one of the oldest area lighthouses.
Messrs. Rogers and Burnett of Milwaukee were hired to build this lighthouse in 1838 at the mouth of the Grand River. Shore erosion cause the property to give way in 1848 and construction for a replacement started in 1854.
The first light here was illuminated on the south pier in 1870. A year later on Oct. 8, 1871, it burnt in the Great fire, coincidentally on the same day as the great fires in Chicago, Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin, and fires in Port Huron and Holland, both in Michigan.
At the turn of the 20th century, Manistique was a boom town, with timber and pig iron shipping driving it. By 1910, work started to build breakwaters to protect the harbor. By 1914, permanent lights on the west breakwater were completed.
Located on the northeast shore of Lake Michigan at the southern entrance of the Manitou Passage, this lighthouse was constructed beginning in 1954 and took four years to complete.
Situated on the Straights of Mackinac that connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, this lighthouse was built in 1895 as a means to ease the hazards of traveling along the waterway.
Construction commenced on this lighthouse located at Tawas Point State Park on Lake Huron in 1853.
Such amazing structures, with so much history and purpose. Tell us, do you have a favorite lighthouse that you simply have to visit every year? Tell us about it!
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