Big Sable Point Light
Encyclopedia
The Big Sable Point Light is a lighthouse
on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan
near Ludington
in Mason County
, Michigan
, at the Ludington State Park
. It is an active aid to navigation.
Built in 1867, the 112 feet (34.1 m) tower was originally made of yellow cream brick. It has a focal plane of 106 feet (32.3 m). The building was made of so-called Cream City Brick
. The brick deteriorated and was thereafter covered with boiler plate in 1900.
Construction materials were brought up by ships. The first road to the site was not completed until 1933.
Because the brick deteriorated from exposure to the elements, a steel plate encasement was installed in 1900 for the cost of $3,225.
The yellow brick now encased in steel plate was difficult to see and a daymark
was needed. Several changes to the daymark over the years were made, currently the tower is painted white with a black watch tower and a black band around the middle of the tower. As shown in an historic post card, it was painted red and white at one time; later to become black and white.
It was the last Great Lakes Lighthouse to get electricity and plumbing which came in the late 1940s.
The original lens was a third order Fresnel lens
, inscribed "Sautter & Co., Constructeurs." It was removed in 1985, and is now on display at the Rose Hawley Museum at White Pine Village
. The lighthouse follows a design first used at New Presque Isle Light, and which was also used on several other lights on the Great Lakes
.
After the light was automated, the keeper's
house was severely vandalized.
In 1986, the lighthouse station was leased to the Foundation for Behavioral Research. The foundation has worked with the Big Sable Lighthouse Association to preserve the buildings.
Lighthouse keeper
s were: Alonzo Hyde, Sr. (1867–1869), Alonzo W. Hyde (1869–1871), Newton Bird (1871–1873), Burr Caswell (1874–1882), Hans Hansen (1882–1887), James Rich (1887–1888), Tomas Bailey (1889–1893), George Blake (1899—1903), Samuel Gagnon (1905–1923), Joseph Kimmers (1922–1923), Leweilyn Vanatter (1923–1936), George Rogan (1936–1949), David Sauers (1949–1954), Henry Vavrina (1955–1965), Homer Meverden (1965–1968).
In the middle of the 20th Century, 1949, Big Sable was electrified. It was the last Great Lakes
light to give up wicks. This paved the way for automation and the elimination of the Lighthouse keeper
's job.
The fog horn, which was steam and then diesel.
Buildings at the lightstation included the tower and dwelling, fog signal building, boat house, barn, three oil houses, two privy's
and a Diaphone
fog signal. The fog signal building fell into the lake due to erosion in 1943.
The site is the subject of constant erosion, so that keeping the foundation in place and the water away from undermining it has been a recurrent and expensive battle.
Listed as Big Sable Point Light Station in the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983 as reference #83004296. It is also on the state inventory list.
A historical marker in front of the lighthouse reads:
Take state highway M-116
north from Ludington to Lakeshore Drive. Proceed north for 6.5 miles (10.5 km) to Ludington State Park
. A vehicle permit is required and a fee collected. It is under the care of the Sable Point Lightkeepers Association, which was formed in 1986. The organization has been instrumental in restoring the light and associated buildings. A volunteer keeper program makes is possible for volunteers to live and work in the lighthouse for two week periods. There is a waiting list to do this. Tours are available, and events do occur (a calendar is available).
Bus transportation is available the third Saturday of July, August and September. Buses travel from the State Park Visitors Center to the lighthouse is from 10am to 5pm. Round trip cost is $2.00 per rider, with a maximum of $10.00 per family. Among them are scheduled bus tours on specified weekends.
Otherwise, access requires a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) walk up the beach or hiking trail.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
near Ludington
Ludington, Michigan
Ludington is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,357. It is the county seat of Mason County.Ludington is a harbor town located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River...
in Mason County
Mason County, Michigan
Mason County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,705. The county seat is Ludington.-History:...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, at the Ludington State Park
Ludington State Park
Ludington State Park is a state park located just north of Ludington, Michigan between the shores of Lake Michigan and Hamlin Lake. The park encompasses nearly and contains several ecosystems, including: forests, sand dunes, a dam, a Great Lake, and a river.-Big Sable Point Lighthouse:Ludington...
. It is an active aid to navigation.
History
On July 28, 1866, Congress appropriated $35,000 for a new lighthouse at Big Sable Point. Approximately 933 acres (3.8 km²) was deeded from the State of Michigan to the US at no cost and early 1867 construction began, making it the first light station in the area.Built in 1867, the 112 feet (34.1 m) tower was originally made of yellow cream brick. It has a focal plane of 106 feet (32.3 m). The building was made of so-called Cream City Brick
Cream City brick
Cream City brick is a cream or light yellow-colored brick made from a clay found around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the Menomonee River Valley and on the western banks of Lake Michigan...
. The brick deteriorated and was thereafter covered with boiler plate in 1900.
Construction materials were brought up by ships. The first road to the site was not completed until 1933.
Because the brick deteriorated from exposure to the elements, a steel plate encasement was installed in 1900 for the cost of $3,225.
The yellow brick now encased in steel plate was difficult to see and a daymark
Daymark
A daymark or a day marker is a structure such as a tower constructed on land as an aid to navigation by sailors. While similar in concept to a lighthouse, a daymark does not have a light and so is usually only visible during daylight hours...
was needed. Several changes to the daymark over the years were made, currently the tower is painted white with a black watch tower and a black band around the middle of the tower. As shown in an historic post card, it was painted red and white at one time; later to become black and white.
It was the last Great Lakes Lighthouse to get electricity and plumbing which came in the late 1940s.
The original lens was a third order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
, inscribed "Sautter & Co., Constructeurs." It was removed in 1985, and is now on display at the Rose Hawley Museum at White Pine Village
White Pine Village
White Pine Village opened in 1976. It is an outdoor museum containing nineteenth century buildings and related artifacts. The centerpiece is Burr Caswell's 1849 farmhouse...
. The lighthouse follows a design first used at New Presque Isle Light, and which was also used on several other lights on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
.
After the light was automated, the keeper's
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
house was severely vandalized.
In 1986, the lighthouse station was leased to the Foundation for Behavioral Research. The foundation has worked with the Big Sable Lighthouse Association to preserve the buildings.
Lighthouse keeper
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
s were: Alonzo Hyde, Sr. (1867–1869), Alonzo W. Hyde (1869–1871), Newton Bird (1871–1873), Burr Caswell (1874–1882), Hans Hansen (1882–1887), James Rich (1887–1888), Tomas Bailey (1889–1893), George Blake (1899—1903), Samuel Gagnon (1905–1923), Joseph Kimmers (1922–1923), Leweilyn Vanatter (1923–1936), George Rogan (1936–1949), David Sauers (1949–1954), Henry Vavrina (1955–1965), Homer Meverden (1965–1968).
In the middle of the 20th Century, 1949, Big Sable was electrified. It was the last Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
light to give up wicks. This paved the way for automation and the elimination of the Lighthouse keeper
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
's job.
The fog horn, which was steam and then diesel.
Buildings at the lightstation included the tower and dwelling, fog signal building, boat house, barn, three oil houses, two privy's
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
and a Diaphone
Diaphone
For Diaphone, the Noctuid moth species see Diaphone The diaphone was a noisemaking device best known for its use as a foghorn: it could produce deep, powerful tones able to carry a long distance...
fog signal. The fog signal building fell into the lake due to erosion in 1943.
The site is the subject of constant erosion, so that keeping the foundation in place and the water away from undermining it has been a recurrent and expensive battle.
Listed as Big Sable Point Light Station in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1983 as reference #83004296. It is also on the state inventory list.
A historical marker in front of the lighthouse reads:
- Called Grande Pointe au Sable by French explorers and traders, Big Sable Point was an important landmark for mariners traveling a treacherous stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline between Big Sable Point and present-day Ludington. In 1855 twelve ships wrecked in that area. Commerce linked to the burgeoning lumber industry required Big Sable Point be suitably lighted. State Senator Charles Mears pressed the legislature to ask the federal government for a light station at Big Sable. In 1866 the U.S. Congress appropriated $35,000 for a lighthouse, which was built the following year. As the lumbering era waned, steamers carrying coal foodstuffs and tourists continued to rely on the lighthouse for navigation.
- The Big Sable Point Lighthouse is one of the few Michigan lights with a tower reaching 100 feet (30.5 m). Completed in 1867 Big Sable's tower measured 112 feet (34.1 m) high. In 1900 the deteriorating brick tower was encased in steel. The keeper's dwelling, which once housed a single family, has been enlarged over the years, resulting in the present three-family residence. Indoor plumbing and heating and a diesel electric generator were added in 1953. In 1953 power lines were extended to the Point. In 1966 the tradition of light-keeping begun in 1867 by Alonzo A. Hyde and his wife Laura ended when the station was fully automated. Big Sable Point Light Station is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Current status and getting there
The lighthouse was transferred to state ownership on November 1, 2002. The site manager is the Sable Points Light Keepers Association.Take state highway M-116
M-116 (Michigan highway)
M-116 is a long state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that begins in Ludington at an intersection with US Highway 10 at James Street and Ludington Avenue. The road travels northward, much of it along the shore of Lake Michigan before reaching its terminus at the entrance to...
north from Ludington to Lakeshore Drive. Proceed north for 6.5 miles (10.5 km) to Ludington State Park
Ludington State Park
Ludington State Park is a state park located just north of Ludington, Michigan between the shores of Lake Michigan and Hamlin Lake. The park encompasses nearly and contains several ecosystems, including: forests, sand dunes, a dam, a Great Lake, and a river.-Big Sable Point Lighthouse:Ludington...
. A vehicle permit is required and a fee collected. It is under the care of the Sable Point Lightkeepers Association, which was formed in 1986. The organization has been instrumental in restoring the light and associated buildings. A volunteer keeper program makes is possible for volunteers to live and work in the lighthouse for two week periods. There is a waiting list to do this. Tours are available, and events do occur (a calendar is available).
Bus transportation is available the third Saturday of July, August and September. Buses travel from the State Park Visitors Center to the lighthouse is from 10am to 5pm. Round trip cost is $2.00 per rider, with a maximum of $10.00 per family. Among them are scheduled bus tours on specified weekends.
Otherwise, access requires a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) walk up the beach or hiking trail.
Specialized further reading
- Harrison, Timothy. Big Sable, The Queen of the Lake. Lighthouse DigestLighthouse DigestLighthouse Digest is a specialty magazine for lighthouse and maritime history enthusiasts published in East Machias, Maine. Launched in May, 1992, by FogHorn Publishing, it is dedicated to preserving lighthouse history, current and yesteryear, for future generations.-Scope:Coverage includes...
(Jul 1997), pp. 1–3. - Havighurst, Walter (1943) The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes, Macmillan PublishersMacmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
. - Merkel, Jim Volunteers Get Inside Look at Big Sable Lighthouse DigestLighthouse DigestLighthouse Digest is a specialty magazine for lighthouse and maritime history enthusiasts published in East Machias, Maine. Launched in May, 1992, by FogHorn Publishing, it is dedicated to preserving lighthouse history, current and yesteryear, for future generations.-Scope:Coverage includes...
(June, 2003). - Nelson, Bruce A. The History of Big Point Sable Light Station. The Beacon 18, No. 4 (Winter 2000/01), Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, pp. 14–15.
- Rice, Mary J., Chicago: Port to the World (Follet Publishers, 1969).
- Sapulski, Wayne S., (2001) Lighthouses of Lake Michigan: Past and Present (Paperback) (Fowlerville: Wilderness Adventure Books) ISBN 0923568476; ISBN 978-0923568474.
- Tag, Thomas A., Big Sable Point Light Station, Softcover (Dayton, OH: Data Image, 1997) ISBN 0-9649980-3-3.
External links
- Aerial photos at Marinas.com
- Big Sable Point Light official site.
- Huelse, Klaus -- Meine Leuchtturm-Seite: Leuchttürme USA auf historischen Postkarten -- Historic postcard images of U.S. lighthouses, Historic Post Card View — "Point Sable Lighthouse".
- Interactive map of Lights in Northern Lake Michigan, mapped by Google.
- Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Big Sable Light.
- Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association.
- Satellite image of 'Big Sable Point' at Google mapsGoogle MapsGoogle Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
. - U.S. Lighthouses, Big Sable Point Light.
- U.S. Coast Guard Search & Rescue Index