Little Sable Point Light

History…

The Little Sable Point Lighthouse is 115 feet high and one of the tallest working lighthouses on Lake Michigan, visible for 19 miles. In continuous operation since 1874, it is a guardian to ships that pass the Silver Lake Sand Dunes at Mears, Michigan.

With the grounding of the schooner “Pride” on Little Sable Point in 1871, cries for the construction of a lighthouse at what was then known as Petite Pointe Au Sable swelled. In 1872, O. M. Poe, the Major of Engineers of the Eleventh Lighthouse District, wrote to the Lighthouse Board requesting that land for a lighthouse be reserved in the area. Congress appropriated $35,000 for the project, and 39 acres of land were selected on which to construct the new light station. Crews completed the project in 1873, at a cost of $28,886.

The original name given and used on most official records was “Petite Pointe Au Sable Lighthouse”. On May 9, 1910 the official name of the light was changed to “Little Sable Point Light Station” by the Lighthouse board.

It did not take long before mariners began complaining that the natural brick coloration made the tower difficult to see during daylight hours. As a result, the tower was painted white on September 24, 1900. The tower remained in its white painted condition until 1977, when the tower was sandblasted in an effort to reduce ongoing maintenance costs.

In December 1954, with electrical power extended to the station, the kerosene lamp was replaced with a 250-watt electrical lamp within the Fresnel lens. At this time, the rotating mechanism was also removed from the tower, giving the light a new fixed characteristic. With the station unmanned, the Coast Guard began to see the ancillary buildings as a liability, and in the first half of 1955 a crew arrived at the station and demolished everything but the tower.

The 39 acres of the original station are now part of the Silver Lake State Park, and a paved parking lot has been constructed a short distance behind the dunes, giving bathers a close path to the beach. The lighthouse is open for tours during the summer months.

Getting There…

Follow US-31 to the Shelby Road Exit. Follow Shelby Road west to B-15 (Scenic Drive). Follow B-15 to Silver Lake Road. Turn left onto Silver Lake Road (next to Mac Wood’s Dune Rides). Follow the winding, paved road to the Little Sable Point Light Station.

Clues…

Due east of the lighthouse, find two pair of isolated wooden posts flanking a faint trail that heads up a small sandy hill. Walk through the posts toward the treeline. Upon reaching the foundation, proceed northward along the treeline, down a hill to a gnarly oak on your right. Just past the oak, turn into the trees and head eastward about 50-60 paces to a tree with many arms, holding up a fallen neighbor. In the hollow base of the fallen tree find the letterbox.

NOTE… This is a very busy area during the summer. Please be discreet when searching for the box and carry it away from the hiding spot to stamp in. When replacing the box, make sure to wedge it in tightly so that it is not visible when walking past.

Big Sable Point Light

Site Notes…

This box is located within Ludington State Park. A Michigan State Parks vehicle pass is required for entry and can be purchased at the park. Please check the park web site for dates and hours of operation.

Clues…

This box is missing and will be replanted in a new location.

Holland Harbor Light

History…

The first lighthouse built at the entrance to Holland Harbor was a small, square wooden structure erected in the late 1800’s. Only a few years later, the lighthouse service installed a new light atop a metal pole in a protective cage. The oil lantern was lowered by pulleys for service. At the turn of the century a steel tower was built for the light, and in 1907 the present structure was erected. Named the Holland Harbor South Pierhead Lighthouse, it has a gabled roof that reflects the Dutch influence in the area. The stout lighthouse, popularly referred to as “Big Red,” was automated in 1932. When the U.S. Coast Guard recommended that it be abandoned in 1970, citizens circulated petitions to rescue it. The Holland Harbor Lighthouse Historical Commission was then organized to preserve and restore this landmark.

Although the lighthouse sits on the south breakwall of the Holland Harbor channel, the barrage of luxury homes, condominiums and private neighborhood associations along the south shore of Lake Macatawa in recent years has made it impossible to get to the lighthouse on this side of the channel without knowing somebody or trespassing. Fortunately, there is an unobstructed view from the north side of the channel at Holland State Park.

Clues…

This box is missing and will be replanted in a new location.

Seul Choix Point Light

Background Information…

Seul Choix (pronounced Sis-shwa) Point Light marks a small harbor on Lake Michigan located on the south shore of the Upper Peninsula, some sixty miles west of the Straits of Mackinac. The name meaning, “only choice”, was given by French fur traders, who found that it was the only harbor of refuge as they traveled in canoes across the rough waters of Lake Michigan.

During the mid-1800’s Seul Choix Point was the center of a thriving fishing community, but today, only the lighthouse complex is still in existence. The light still operates, but with an automated replacement for its original lens. The light was placed into service in 1892, but the tower had to be rebuilt and the station was not entirely completed until September, 1895. The conical brick light tower rests on an ashlar foundation 12 feet high, with 5 feet below grade, and has a diameter of 18 feet at the base of the brickwork, and 12 feet, 8 inches at the parapet. The tower is surmounted by a 10-sided cast iron lantern that originally held a Third Order Fresnel lens manufactured by Le Paute of Paris. The lantern is now fitted with a modern airport beacon lens. Overall, the tower is 78 feet, 9 inches tall, measured to the top of the ventilator ball, producing a lens focal plane 80 feet above the mean low water level of Lake Michigan. The lighthouse exhibited a fixed red light, varied by a red flash every fifteen seconds, and its beacon was visible for thirteen miles. The station, also operated a fog signal which was a 10-inch steam whistle.

The two-story house, easily large enough to accommodate two families, is finished in red brick, including several rooms that have been added onto the original structure. Matching brick archways support the roof of a porch that is deeply recessed into the front of the house. White trim around the windows and eaves contrasts with the deep color of the brick. The interior rooms of the living quarters have been completely restored and decorated as they would have appeared in the 1900’s-1930’s. The tower is attached to the house by a small, enclosed corridor of red brick.

On the grounds nearby are a boat launch, restrooms, picnic areas and barbecue pits. A short trail leads to the shore, and after you walk it, you’ll quickly understand the need for this lighthouse. A huge limestone shoal reaches out from beneath your feet and cuts through the clear water to almost 100 yards from shore. There, waves are breaking, their white foam outlining the shallowest parts of the reef. The shoal plus the land mass of the point itself, which slopes down into the waters of Lake Michigan for nearly three miles, add up to a very dangerous area for navigators.

The lighthouse grounds are well maintained, with long expanses of grass stretching out to meet the neatly trimmed cedars and pines that dot the lawn. An old wood dryer for fish nets has retired to near the house. All of the original outbuildings are also still standing, including explosives storehouses and the fog signal building, which now houses a gift shop and small museum. The museum is open from Memorial Day through mid October, seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are fascinating items in the museum, including a well preserved dugout canoe, one of the rarest finds to be uncovered in the midwest. The Seul Choix Point Lighthouse is a Michigan Historic Site and a National Historic Landmark. It is operated by the Gulliver Historical Society in cooperation with the Department of Natural Resources.

Getting There…

From the junction of US-2 and County Road 432 in Gulliver, about 11 miles east of Manistique, go south on County Road 432 (Point Inland Rd.) about 4 miles to County Road 431. Turn right (west) onto County Road 431, which is a gravel road, and go approximately 4 miles to the lighthouse.

Clues…

From the boat launch drive, begin walking in an easterly direction along the edge of the grassy clearing next to the water. Find an opening between two clumps of cedar trees at the second grill. Take 10 paces down onto the rocks toward the water to a place where a large, flat-surfaced stone ledge is on your left. Over your right shoulder, at 130 degrees, see the root face of a fallen cedar tree. Find the box hidden behind the roots in a small pile of rocks. Watch for poison ivy!

Marquette Harbor Light

TLC Needed!

Reports have indicated this box is cracked; if you are headed this way and would be able to replace the container for me, I would be most appreciative. Please contact me for more info. Thanks!

Background Information…

Marquette Harbor Light is one of the more picturesque of lighthouses on Lake Superior. The structure rests on an expansive stone bluff that reaches boldly out into the lake. Dominating the horizon, the bright red structure and its adjoining square tower, are among the oldest buildings in the city of Marquette.

Following the discovery of iron ore in the 1850’s and the opening of the first Soo Lock in 1855, Marquette became an important shipping port. The first lighthouse was built in Marquette in 1853 and re-constructed in 1866. The 1866 Marquette Lighthouse was a story and a half brick structure with attached 40-foot square brick tower housing a fourth order Fresnel lens. An identical lens is on display in the Marquette Maritime Museum. The original lens showed an arc of 180 degrees. In 1870 it was increased to 270 degrees.

The keeper and his family lived in the lighthouse. As long as the keeper’s job was only to maintain the light, a single man was able to do the work. However when the light at the end of the breakwater was later added and a two whistle signal system installed at the end of the point, the work was more than one person could do and an assistant keeper was hired. The new man needed housing, a problem solved in 1898 when a barn behind he lighthouse was converted into quarters for the assistant. In 1906 a more permanent solution was reached by adding a second story to the lighthouse. Later additions to the rear of the building were completed in the 1950s. These additions made the lighthouse unique on the Great Lakes. No other similar lighthouse was so altered. The lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The lighthouse is located just north of downtown Marquette on Lakeshore Drive, adjacent to the Marquette Maritime Museum. The museum provides self-guided tours through the history of man’s mastery of the Great Lakes. Displays and exhibits include restored boats, pictures, maritime hardware, Fresnel lens, diving apparatus, hands-on exhibits, a mini-auditorium and a Ship’s Store (gift shop). The lighthouse, previously run by the Coast Guard and closed to the public, was recently leased by the Marquette Maritime Museum and is now open to the public for tours. Because visitors must walk through the grounds of the Coast Guard station to reach the lighthouse, museum guides escort all tours, a requirement established by the Coast Guard for safety and security. The museum plans to develop the lighthouse as an integral interpretive display as an extension of the main museum building and to eventually restore one floor to reflect a period of the life of the light and its lightkeepers.

The best pictures of the light can be taken from McCarty Cove Park or aboard the Marquette Harbor Cruises. Marquette Maritime Museum hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily from the end of May thru Sept. There is a slight admission fee to visit the museum.

Getting There…

Just north of downtown Marquette, locate McCarty Cove Park at the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and Michigan. There is a small parking area directly off the end of Michigan.

Clues…

From the parking area, walk down to the beach. On your right is the lighthouse. You can walk over to the edge of the water here and get some nice pictures of the lighthouse sitting up on the bluff. After this, head the other way down the beach, in a northwesterly direction. You will notice several old pilings in the sand at the far corner of the beach. Just past the group of 8 pilings, a lone tree grows behind a picket fence, on the side of a hill amongst pieces of concrete. Find the box nestled in a cranny under a large, flat rectangular piece of concrete, the southward-facing opening guarded by a red brick block.