The Lighthouses of Michigan

Hello friends and welcome to this week's blog on the lighthouses of Michigan! 

According to Michigan.gov the state of Michigan has the largest fresh water coat in the world with approximately 3,288 miles of fresh water coast! In times of old, ships navigating around our beloved "Mitten"state needed guidance by night and during storms so that they might find safe harbor and also a means of preventing ships from running aground. Since that time many changes have occurred in marine navigation and the many lighthouses that are speckled along the coast of Michigan serve as a tribute to a time where we relied on our fellow man to keep the flame burning to guide us home.

The first of these many beacons was built in 1825 in Fort Gratiot, Michigan.Initially there was thought to be around 247 lighthouses around Michigan's coastline, but today there are only 154 lighthouses that are in good standing condition.   All of Michigan lighthouses, to my knowledge, were built by what was originally referred to as the Bureau of Lighthouses, but would later become part of the U.S Coastguard in 1939 under President Franklin Roosevelt according to a an article by Central Michigan University.  

The beacons had many years in service and kept safe many a ship during their years in service which came to an end 1983 when the Point Betsie light became fully automated thus relieving the last of many lighthouse keepers of their duty. As it stands now many lighthouses are open to the public, some are privately owned, and some are off limits to visitors. 

Seeing as there are too many to list  I have provided a link that shows the names and locations of the lighthouses throughout Michigan. I myself have only visited a handful, but I hope to visit nearly all of them someday starting with the White Fish Point Light Station in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

I hope you have enjoyed this article and now feel inspired as I do to explore our great "Mitten" state  one lighthouse at a time! Be sure to share any stories or pictures you have with us by commenting below or emailing us at explorethemit@gmail.com. Explore on friends! 

Photo Credit: Michigan Nut Photography, Indeed.blogspot