Port Sanilac Light
Encyclopedia
Port Sanilac Light is a United States Coast Guard
lighthouse
located on Point Sanilac, near Port Sanilac
on the eastern side of Michigan
's Thumb
. It is an automated and active aid to navigation on Lake Huron
.
and sandbanks, the 75 mile stretch of coastline between the Fort Gratiot Light and Pointe aux Barques Light
is a hazard to navigation. Even after the establishment of the Sand Beach Harbor of Refuge Light
in 1875, 30 miles (48.3 km) miles of coast line still remained completely unlighted.
Eighteen years after the first attempts to get congressional funding, the station was established and first lit in 1886. This Lake Huron
lighthouse is 30 miles (48.3 km) north of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse
(Michigan's
oldest) in Port Huron, Michigan
.
The Port Sanilac Light's foundation consists of dressed stone and timber. The octagon-hourglass-shaped tower (near its top) is made of tiered and reverse stair-stepped brick. It is 14 feet in diameter at its base, and tapers vertically to 9 feet diameter below the gallery. Eschewing the usual corbels, a dozen courses of bricks create the gallery support, with four indentations for windows, creating a watch room for the four points of the compass. The lighthouse was built at a cost of $20,000. The placement and the unique shape were dictated by and created because of budgetary constraints (Congress appropriated only half the money requested). Designed by Eleventh District Engineer Captain Charles E. L. B. Davis, the design has been called "both unique and architecturally significant in its elegance." The tower is white with a red roof.
This "handsome" lighthouse shares its design with only one one other, Ile Aux Galets
, also known as Skilligallee Island Light, on Lake Michigan
.
The Port Sanilac Light tower is capped with a cast iron
lantern room, which still houses a fourth order Fresnel lens
manufactured by Barbier and Fenestre of Paris. The lens and its brass reflector on one segment (the reflector blocked the lens on the landward side) send the light out in a 300 degree arc across the lake. Its focal plane is 69 feet (21 m) shines a beam of light visible for up to 13 miles (20.9 km) in all directions, thus closing most of the 30 miles (48.3 km)-gap mentioned above. The light sits atop high ground at the head of a small bay. This is one of only 70 such Fresnel lenses that are still operational in the United States, sixteen of which are use on the Great Lakes
of which eight are in Michigan.
Port Sanilac Light Station — Lake St. is a registered site on the National Register of Historic Places
, being added on August 19, 1984 as listed site #84001842. Name of Listing: PORT SANILAC LIGHT STATION (U.S. COAST GUARD/GREAT LAKES TR).
The Port Sanilac Light complex currently consists of five historic structures. In addition to the light tower and ornate brick Lighthouse keeper
's residence, the brick oil house, wooden outhouse
, and well also survive. The well is covered by a safety platform of wooden planks.
Because of its unique and picturesque form and location, it is often the subject of photographs, and even of needlepoint illustrations. Drawings have also been produced, as have postcard
s.
The original fourth order Fresnel lens is still operative, being one of only 70 such lenses that remain operational in the United States; sixteen of them are use on the Great Lakes
, of which eight are in Michigan.
From
M-25
in Port Sanilac, Michigan
, turn east onto Cherry Street, taking it to the Lake Huron
shore. Public parking is at the terminus of Cherry Street, directly south of the light. The breakwater "is a nice place from which the lighthouse can be photographed."
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
lighthouse
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....
located on Point Sanilac, near Port Sanilac
Port Sanilac, Michigan
Port Sanilac is a village in Sanilac Township, Sanilac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 658 at the 2000 census.-History:...
on the eastern side of 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"....
's Thumb
The Thumb
The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten; thus the Thumb is the area that looks like the thumb of the mitten. The Thumb is generally considered to be in the Mid-Michigan area of the state, located east of Flint/Tri-Cities...
. It is an automated and active aid to navigation on Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
.
History
Characterized by shallow waterWaves and shallow water
When waves travel into areas of shallow water, they begin to be affected by the ocean bottom. The free orbital motion of the water is disrupted, and water particles in orbital motion no longer return to their original position. As the water becomes shallower, the swell becomes higher and steeper,...
and sandbanks, the 75 mile stretch of coastline between the Fort Gratiot Light and Pointe aux Barques Light
Pointe aux Barques Light
The Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse ranks among the ten oldest lighthouses in Michigan. It is an active lighthouse maintained by the US Coast Guard remotely, located in Lighthouse County Park on Lake Huron near Port Hope, Michigan in Huron County...
is a hazard to navigation. Even after the establishment of the Sand Beach Harbor of Refuge Light
Harbor Beach Light
The Harbor Beach Lighthouse is a "sparkplug lighthouse" located at the end of the north breakwall entrance to the harbor of refuge on Lake Huron. The breakwall and light were created by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to protect the harbor of Harbor Beach, Michigan, which is the greatest...
in 1875, 30 miles (48.3 km) miles of coast line still remained completely unlighted.
Eighteen years after the first attempts to get congressional funding, the station was established and first lit in 1886. This Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
lighthouse is 30 miles (48.3 km) north of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse
Fort Gratiot Lighthouse
Fort Gratiot Light, the first lighthouse in the state of Michigan, was constructed north of Fort Gratiot in 1829 by Lucius Lyon, who later became one of Michigan's first U.S. Senators....
(Michigan's
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"....
oldest) in Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administratively autonomous. It is joined by the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River to Sarnia,...
.
The Port Sanilac Light's foundation consists of dressed stone and timber. The octagon-hourglass-shaped tower (near its top) is made of tiered and reverse stair-stepped brick. It is 14 feet in diameter at its base, and tapers vertically to 9 feet diameter below the gallery. Eschewing the usual corbels, a dozen courses of bricks create the gallery support, with four indentations for windows, creating a watch room for the four points of the compass. The lighthouse was built at a cost of $20,000. The placement and the unique shape were dictated by and created because of budgetary constraints (Congress appropriated only half the money requested). Designed by Eleventh District Engineer Captain Charles E. L. B. Davis, the design has been called "both unique and architecturally significant in its elegance." The tower is white with a red roof.
This "handsome" lighthouse shares its design with only one one other, Ile Aux Galets
Ile Aux Galets
Ile aux Galets or Gallets, and also known as Skillagallee or Skillagalee Island, is located in northeast Lake Michigan approximately 7.0 miles northwest of Cross Village, Michigan...
, also known as Skilligallee Island Light, on 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...
.
The Port Sanilac Light tower is capped with a cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
lantern room, which still houses a fourth 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...
manufactured by Barbier and Fenestre of Paris. The lens and its brass reflector on one segment (the reflector blocked the lens on the landward side) send the light out in a 300 degree arc across the lake. Its focal plane is 69 feet (21 m) shines a beam of light visible for up to 13 miles (20.9 km) in all directions, thus closing most of the 30 miles (48.3 km)-gap mentioned above. The light sits atop high ground at the head of a small bay. This is one of only 70 such Fresnel lenses that are still operational in the United States, sixteen of which are use 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...
of which eight are in Michigan.
Port Sanilac Light Station — Lake St. is a registered site on 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...
, being added on August 19, 1984 as listed site #84001842. Name of Listing: PORT SANILAC LIGHT STATION (U.S. COAST GUARD/GREAT LAKES TR).
The Port Sanilac Light complex currently consists of five historic structures. In addition to the light tower and ornate brick 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 residence, the brick oil house, wooden outhouse
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 well also survive. The well is covered by a safety platform of wooden planks.
Because of its unique and picturesque form and location, it is often the subject of photographs, and even of needlepoint illustrations. Drawings have also been produced, as have postcard
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
s.
The original fourth order Fresnel lens is still operative, being one of only 70 such lenses that remain operational in the United States; sixteen of them are use 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...
, of which eight are in Michigan.
Getting there
The lighthouse is private property; access around it is prohibited. Viewing from the parking lot is very good. You can also walk down toward the beach and breakwater to get a good view of the lighthouse and harbor.From
M-25M-25 (Michigan highway)
M-25 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The route follows an arc-like shape closely along the Lake Huron shore of the Thumb in the eastern Lower Peninsula between Port Huron and Bay City. It serves the lakeshore resorts along Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay and generally lies...
in Port Sanilac, Michigan
Port Sanilac, Michigan
Port Sanilac is a village in Sanilac Township, Sanilac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 658 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, turn east onto Cherry Street, taking it to the Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
shore. Public parking is at the terminus of Cherry Street, directly south of the light. The breakwater "is a nice place from which the lighthouse can be photographed."
External links
- Aerial photos, Port Sanilac Light, marinas.com.
- Interactive map of lighthouses in area.
- Interactive map, list, information for lighthouses in North and West Lake Huron.
- Michigan.gov website has a Map of Michigan Lighthouses.
- Port Sanilac Lighthouse at Seeing the Light by Terry Pepper.
- Satellite view 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...
.