Au Sable Point Light

Background Information…

For many years sailors dreaded the eighty miles of dark shoreline that stretched east from the Grand Island Lighthouse to the light at Whitefish Point. Unmarked by any navigational light, these dangerous shores claimed dozens of ships. To fill the gap, a lighthouse was placed on Au Sable Point in 1874. An eighty-seven-foot brick tower was built on a rise, placing the light about 150 feet above Lake Superior’s surface. The Third-Order Fresnel Lens displayed a fixed white light. The attached, two-story brick keeper’s dwelling was large, but those who lived in it knew their’s was one of the most remote mainland light stations in America. The nearest town, Grand Marais, was more than 12 miles away, and there was no road. Keepers either hiked in or came by boat.

The Coast Guard automated the light in 1958. Although the light remains active, the old Third Order Fresnel Lens has been removed from service and is in the lens room in the light tower. The lighthouse tower, the attached red brick keeper’s house and the red brick fog building, as well as several other structures, are still standing at the site.

Au Sable Point Lighthouse is one of the least accessible mainland light stations in the United States. Just as its keepers once did, visitors today must walk to it. The 1.5 mile trail to the lighthouse follows the Lake Superior shoreline and passes the remains of several shipwrecks. These shipwrecks are a sobering reminder of the incredible power of Lake Superior.

During the summer months interpretive tours of both the keeper’s house and the light tower are offered.

Getting There…

To reach the lighthouse, take Alger County Road (H-58) west from the town of Grand Marais about 12 miles to the Hurricane River Campground, where a day-use parking area is available (once you pass Grand Sable Lake, the road turns to dirt, and can be a bit rough in places). In the NW corner of the campground, the two-track trail to the lighthouse is marked.

Note… Where the road turns to dirt, the snow removal ends, so unless you are coming by snowmobile, do not plan to visit during the winter.

Clues…

Lakeshore trail east of lighthouse to the place where a triple barrier prevents you from walking off the edge of the cliff. Look over your shoulder to see a fallen birch log. Herein lies the box. Please cover well when you leave!

Crisp Point Lighthouse

Background Information…

The Crisp Point Lighthouse is located on the deserted shore of Lake Superior, 37 miles north of Newberry, Michigan. Crisp Point Lighthouse is considered one of the most inaccessible and lonely mainland lighthouses in the Upper Peninsula, and can only be reached by taking a narrow country road through the Lake Superior State Forest.

This stately light was activated in 1904, at the already established Crisp Point Life Saving Station, where the “Storm Warriors” of Life Saving Station #10 battled the violence of Lake Superior to save shipwrecked sailors. The Life Saving Station was named for it’s first keeper and famed lifesaver, Christopher Crisp.

The Life Saving Station consisted of a combination five room station house with room for the keeper and serfmen, serfboats, and necessary life-saving apparatus. A tall lookout tower stood by the keeper’s house and several houses for serfmen and their families were built on the grounds. A Fog Signal building was added to the Life Saving Station in 1903 but was destroyed by a violent storm the same year and had to be rebuilt. The lighthouse, an oil house containing fuel for the light and fog horn, and a two-story brick light keeper’s dwelling with a basement were constructed in 1904 and added to the Crisp Point Life Saving Station. This dwelling was for the lighthouse keeper and the two assistant keepers.

Other outbuildings were then added such as two barns, a boathouse and landing, and a tramway to aid in launching the surf boats. The lighthouse originally contained a 360 degree red Fourth Order Fresnel Lens beaming out light for 15 miles over Lake Superior, but was replaced by a 300 millimeters plastic lens. A brick service room was added in 1906 and a landing crib was added on the Lake Superior shoreline in 1907. All but the lighthouse tower are now gone. The Light Station was deactivated and abandoned in 1947 and Lake Superior took over Crisp Point. Storms damaged the station so badly that it was necessary for the Coast Guard to demolish the buildings in 1965, but they left the lighthouse tower and service building standing. Since then, Lake Superior has claimed all but one wall of the service building.

In February of 1997 the Crisp Point Light was saved from the auction block and purchased by Luce County, but Lake Superior’s violent storms still wrecked havoc on the lighthouse. The Crisp Point Historical Society was formed. They leased the land from Luce County and major preservation was started. Stone and sandbags have been hauled in and placed to try to stop the erosion, the tower has been cleaned and whitewashed, a memorial boardwalk has been built around the lighthouse and a tree and bush planting project has been initiated. The search is also underway for the original Fourth Order Fresnel Lens.

Getting There…

A drive out to Crisp Point is an adventure in itself and a delightful way to spend an afternoon. The Crisp Point Lighthouse was built on the edge on what was and still is, largely primeval forest. The road is well marked and seems to go on forever but it’s well worth the trip. You drive on and on through the forest until you make that final turn and the spectacular tower comes into view above the trees. Enjoy the drive through the forest, take a walk along the deserted sandy beach, wade in the cool Lake Superior water, and maybe hunt for a few agates while you visit this beautiful light tower.

Take M-123 north of Newberry to the intersection with CR-500 (this is a gravel road). Turn north on CR-500 to the intersection of CR-412. Take CR-412, follow the signs, and you will go right to the lighthouse. On your return trip, watch carefully for the intersection with CR-500 and you will soon be back on M-123.

Clues…

At 300 degrees a large piece of driftwood lies just beyond Max’s resting place; at 270 degrees the lighthouse tower stands defiant against Lake Superior’s fury; at 95 degrees 2 tall spruce trees rise along the far shoreline; at your feet find the letterbox tucked into the end of a hollow log.

Whitefish Point Light

First lit in 1849, the Whitefish Point Light shares honors with that at Copper Harbor for being the first lights on Lake Superior. It stands guard over the entrance to Whitefish Bay, sometimes the only shelter to be found for a ship trying to escape the fury of the lake. Whitefish Point is known as the “Graveyard of Ships” as more vessels have been lost here than in any other part of Lake Superior. Raging northwest winds, building up over 160 miles of open water, create waves of unbelievable proportions. These violent storms and wild waters erupt with a suddenness that often catches sailors unprepared. The mountainous waves strike harder and more often than any ocean wave. The waves come roaring in from two or three different directions, ricocheting off the shores and returning with even more intensity. These monstrous storms, of hurricane force and duration, strike with all the ferocity and brutality of any ocean storm.

The very first ship known to sail on Superior, the sixty-foot trading vessel Invincible, perished in gale-force winds and towering waves near here in 1816. Many other vessels have suffered the same fate. Some were big, well-known ships such as the Edmund Fitzgerald, and their destruction made headlines across the country. Others were smaller unknown vessels, but every loss was tragic. Hundreds of vessels, including the famed Edmund Fitzgerald, lie on the bottom of the bay and its approaches. The lighthouse marks the end of an 80 mile stretch of shoreline known as Lake Superior’s Shipwreck Coast. This light has shined onto the big lake unfailingly for nearly 150 years, except for the night when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down.

At 4:30 p.m. on November 10, 1975, as the Edmund Fitzgerald struggled towards Whitefish Bay, forty-eight miles to the south, the light and the radio beacon at the remote navigational station at Whitefish Point suddenly clicked off. The Fitzgerald, already crippled by non-functioning storm damaged radar, was now without homing capability from the automated system at Whitefish. The Fitzgerald was left to fend for itself in unbelievable weather conditions.

To many lake sailors the light is more than a navigational marker, it is a welcoming call from home. The Whitefish Point Lighthouse is a remarkably modern and functional structure. This is especially notable when you consider that it was built in 1861, the beginning of the Civil War. A steel cylinder some eighty feet tall, it is supported by a skeletal steel framework. The iron skeleton with a very wide base gradually narrows to support a central steel cylinder. The narrow cylinder in turn supports the octagonal parapet and lantern room above. A red dome caps the lantern. This design was intended to take stress off the building during high winds.

The surrounding buildings were once home to the Coast Guard personnel stationed at this light and responsible for its maintenance. Automated by the Coast Guard in 1970, the Light Station no longer has a resident keeper. Appropriately, the dwelling now houses the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, a group of divers researching the wrecks, opened the museum in 1986. This is the only museum dedicated to shipwrecks on the Great Lakes.

The lighthouse and museum are open from May 1st until October 31st, daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (open Friday and Saturday only in November). The museum is very informative and interesting, and well worth the cost of admission. There is no charge to visit the lighthouse grounds.

Getting There…

Follow M-123 north through the town of Paradise, about 11 miles to the end of the road at Whitefish Point.

Clues…

Follow the narrow cement path from behind the observation tower. When you meet up with the wide, sandy path, follow this down toward the water. The beach at Whitefish Point is one of the few places you can find concentric banded agates, so watch the stones as you walk! Follow the water’s edge in a northwesterly direction past several rows of old wooden pilings that extend out into the water. Once you reach the last row of pilings, locate three pines growing on the ridge at 170 degrees. Standing on the back side of these pines, see a red-tipped post in the woods at 260 degrees. Following this same directional line, you will find a double-trunked pine, just a few steps beyond the post. Find the box hiding under a dead branch at the base of the pine.

Point Iroquois Light Station

The Point Iroquois Lighthouse stands watch where Lake Superior begins its treacherous rush into the St. Mary’s River. The Ojibwa Indians massacred a group of invading Iroquois warriors at this location in 1662, giving the point its original Indian name. It was noted by the early explorers, but did not become significant until the St. Mary’s Falls Ship Canal opened in 1855. Ships passing from Lake Superior into the canal came close to Point Iroquois, through a narrow passage between the sandy shores on the American side and the reefs on the Canadian side.

The Point Iroquois Light was first illuminated in 1857 and its Fourth Order Fresnel lens shone over one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world: the entrance to the St. Mary’s River and the Soo Locks. Point Iroquois became busier with each passing year, and the personnel and facilities required to run the station grew accordingly. In 1870 the house and tower were completely rebuilt, and in 1902, a two-story rectangular brick house was added to the residence to provide housing for the assistant keeper at a total cost of $18,000. There was a group of children at the station and the government sponsored a school at the point. The children of local fishermen also came here to school, so the point became a meeting place for local residents.

The lighthouse, now a part of the Hiawatha National Forest, rests on a bluff above Lake Superior; wooden walkways lead to the beach; and the shore here is littered with unusual driftwood and banded agates. The large two-story house is white, with a red roof sloping over all the gables and additions. The attached brick tower, also white, is topped with a black parapet and lantern room. The conical tower is 16 feet in diameter at the base, stands 51 feet tall to the lantern deck and 65 feet high overall. Visitors can climb 72 steps spiraling to the top of the tower for a remarkable view. The panorama, needless to say, is impressive, as you can see almost the entire coastline of Whitefish Bay and miles out into Lake Superior, including any freighter that happens to be passing by. The historical society has renovated the interior of the house, and antiques and memorabilia have been arranged to show what life was like during the heyday of the lighthouse. Informative displays fill several rooms, and the gift shop sells lighthouse themed souvenirs and a wide variety of books on Michigan’s nautical and natural history.

The museum, gift shop and tower are open from mid-May through mid-October. Hours may vary, so call ahead if you are planning to tour the lighthouse.

Getting There…

Take the M-28 exit from I-75. Following the signs to Brimley, follow M-221 north. When the road ends in Brimley, turn left onto Lakeshore Drive (6 Mile Road). Continue west through the town of Bay Mills for about 7.5 miles to the lighthouse. Lakeshore Drive runs along Lake Superior for about 40 miles between Brimley and M-123 (the road to Paradise). It is a beautiful drive any time of year, and well worth the extra time.

Clues…

Behind the necessary building, find a clearing to the East. Walk in that direction along the treeline on the north. Just beyond a 4-trunk oak, see an orange-tipped stake straight ahead. Turn into the woods and find a fallen log (are trees square?). Find the letterbox inside the decaying wood.

White River Light

History…

The White River Light Station, established in 1875, is one of my favorite area lighthouses. The handsome mud brick keeper’s dwelling and octagonal light tower still stand in their original location on a bluff above the White Lake Channel, although they have been restored and now contain museum exhibits, open to the public.

The building of this lighthouse in 1875 served to enhance the navigational capacity of the original light, a 27 ft. wooden tower light located at the end of the channel’s south pier and accessed during high seas via a wooden catwalk. The original pierhead light structure and catwalk are no longer in existence.

Upon decommissioning this light, the Coast Guard placed a selling price of $6,250 on the entire site. The local township desperately wanted to purchase the lighthouse and restore it, but did not have the reserve cash in its budget. Local citizens then pooled their spare cash and provided the funds that allowed the light to be saved. The keeper’s dwelling of this light station is now used as a private residence and a museum operated by Fruitland Township, which bought the property in 1966.

Site Notes…

The parking area is open from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. There is no admission fee to the grounds, however there is a small charge for touring the lighthouse and museum exhibits.

Getting There…

Take U.S. 31 to the White Lake Dr. exit and follow it west about 4.5 miles to South Shore Dr. Turn left onto South Shore Dr. and go about 3.5 (the route makes a brief jog west on Lakewood St.) to a four way stop at the intersection with Scenic Dr. Continue straight ahead onto Murray Rd. which ends at the lighthouse after winding through the resort community of Sylvan Beach, once known as Wabaningo.

Alternate Route: You can also follow Lakeshore Drive up along Lake Michigan from North Muskegon to reach this location. This is a beautiful ride any time of year, but particularly in the fall and early spring when the green is just beginning to pop out and the views of Lake Michigan are not yet obstructed by the trees.

Clues…

From the ship’s wreckage resting near the top of the cement stairway from the channel walk, spot the red pole at 325 degrees.

From the pole, walk past the place of Paul and Edna to where 3 pointed heads border 4 resting spots. Follow the trail from the center up a sandy hill. At the crest, stop and notice the trio to your right. From this place of three, look to the SE. The box rests in the partially hollowed base of a tree 10 paces to the NE of the tree with the eyebrow crevice. Please be discreet in your search, carry the box away to stamp in and recover well when replacing!