If you’ve visited both Big Sable Point Lighthouse and Little Sable Point Lighthouse, you’ve probably noticed one of their biggest differences. Big Sable stands tall with its distinctive black-and-white spiral stripes, while Little Sable’s warm red brick exterior looks much simpler. It’s one of the questions we hear most often: Why are lighthouses painted different...
By Mark Hallenbeck, Lakeshore Keepers’ Education Committee Chair Rising at the mouth of the Manistee River, the Manistee North Pierhead Light has long stood at the crossroads of industry, innovation, and survival on Lake Michigan. The heavily forested Manistee area of the 19th Century offered prime opportunities to the booming lumber industry. The Manistee River...
A daily log was kept by every lighthouse keeper in the U.S. Lighthouse Service as a requirement of their duties. Items regularly documented would include the weather and tasks that were accomplished that day. Other items, such as ship sightings, help create a timeline if a ship goes missing or if a shipwreck is sighted,...
A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in...
