300 N. Lakeshore Blvd. Marquette, MI. 49855 (906) 226-2006 Latitude: 46.5467, Longitude: -87.3762 Visit Website In 2002 the Marquette Maritime Museum concluded an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard for the lease of the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse. The historic lease is for 30-years and includes not only the lighthouse but also approximately 2 1/2 acres of picturesque Lighthouse Point. The… Read More
The Huron Island Lighthouse, built on West Huron Island in 1868, is located three miles off of the Michigan coast in Lake Superior. The island is one of several that make up Huron National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905 and is the oldest refuge in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region. This distinctive structure… Read More
With the discovery of iron ore in Marquette County around 1840, the area quickly became one of the busiest ports in the Upper Peninsula. Granite Island’s location approximately twelve-and-a-half miles to the northeast represented a major threat to vessels making passage to and from Marquette harbor. On March 2, 1867, Congress appropriated $20,000 for construction of a lighthouse on the island…. Read More
The lighthouse stands on a rocky point halfway between Marquette and the Keweenaw Portage Entry. The establishment of a station at Big Bay Pointe was recommended to the Lighthouse Board in 1882. “The point occupies a position midway between Granite Island and Huron Islands, the distance in each case being 15 to 18 miles. These two lights are invisible from… Read More
The rock here was named for Captain Charles C. Stannard who in 1835 discovered a dangerous reef more than a mile long off the coast of northern Marquette County. A day beacon was activated in 1868 when the Soo Locks opened. Construction of a permanent light began in 1877 and was finished in 1882. Location: On shoal at end of reef, 45… Read More
Located at the end of a rugged stone breakwater at Marquette’s Presque Isle Park, the red beacon still guides ships day and night into the railroad ore docks. A monument near the breakwater carries the message, “The awesome beauty of Lake Superior’s waves have their dark and tragic side. The tremendous force of the waves and the frigid water can… Read More
