Heading Home

On Monday I made the final leg of my journey, this time from Escanaba to Presque Isle.  Along the way I tried to see several lighthouses — the primary reason for this trip through the UP.  First on my list was the Sand Point Light at Escanaba.  This is a fascinating lighthouse, steeped in history.  Unfortunately, it was closed for the season.

The Sand Point Light at Escanaba...

...and its historical marker.

First illuminated in 1868, the lighthouse served until 1939 when it was replaced by a crib light (a light built on an artificial sand island) in Little Bay De Noc.  Sand Point's first Keeper was Mary Terry, who also became one of the first female keepers on the Great Lakes.  She died under mysterious circumstances (see below), and foul play is likely.

Mary's story is on an outdoor information card.

Lined up against the outside wall of the Coast Guard
exhibit building are these wood panels with phrases from
"Locksley Hall," a prophetic poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Where might these be displayed?

Over many years the local historical society has carefully restored the tower and keeper's dwelling to its late 19th century appearance.  Unfortunately, the facility is open only from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  I realize how difficult it can be to recruit volunteers, but the Upper Peninsula attracts lots of tourists during the Color Season, and the Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival is always the second weekend in October.  Staying open at least until the color fades would not seem too great a challenge.

The "lighthouse" at Gladstone.

Just north of Escanaba is the town of Gladstone, where I found this small lighthouse at a municipal park.  This is new construction; the exterior looks like stone, but is actually just a molded shell.  I suspect that Gladstone suffered from "lighthouse envy" and decided to put up this tower for merely decorative reasons.

This facility is managed by the Forest Service.

An archive photo of the light in the good old days.

Not much is left now.

Then I moved east to the Stonington Peninsula.  Peninsula Point Lighthouse sits at the very tip of the peninsula, which sticks out into Lake Michigan.  This yellow brick tower and its matching keeper's house were built in 1865.  The lighthouse served until 1936 when a new light at Minneapolis Shoal, seven miles southwest of Peninsula Point, went into operation.  Not much of this light station is left.  A man who was birding on the point when I visited on Monday told me that several years after the light had been decommissioned, teenagers started a fire that burned down the keeper's residence.  The tower, which commands a wonderful view south across the lake, is all that remains.

Peninsula Point juts out sharply into Lake Michigan.

This area is like an "arrow sign" pointing the way south.

Peninsula Point is also a jumping-off point for monarch butterflies when migrating south.  In this it serves the same function as Point Pelee National Park in Ontario, the southernmost point of land in Canada.  These two peninsulas seem to point the way for butterflies heading across the Great Lakes and mainland U.S. to Mexico.

The East Breakwater Light at Manistique, on Lake Michigan.

My last light was at Manistique.  This lighthouse was built in 1916, and automated in 1969.  Its Fourth Order Fresnel Lens has been replaced with a beacon.  I wanted to get closer, but the site appears to be fenced off.  Maybe another time....

The Mighty Mac.

Before long I found myself nearing the Straits and the Mackinac Bridge.  This put me just 90 minutes from home.  After living out of a suitcase for several days, I was ready to end the trip. •••