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Lighthouse cruises
Lighthouses have been a fixture of American history from the very beginning. In fact, the ninth act of the United States Congress in August, 1789, called for the states to turn over their lighthouses to the newly formed central government. The Treasury Department administered this new Lighthouse Establishment, which saw a steady increase in lighthouses and lightships in the years following 1789. By the early 1820s, there were 70 lighthouses in the nation. Two decades later, in 1842, there were 256 lighthouses and 30 lightships. A decade after that, the number was 331 lighthouses and 42 light vessels.
When you add the romance, mystery and mystique of lightkeepers’ exploits to the contributions of the lesser known U.S. Life Saving Service, you’d have enough real-life adventure to fill hundreds of volumes and move scripts. Even though technology has now automated many of the old lighthouses, the legends live on, fascinating new generations of amateur historians, photographers and tourists. Today, the United States has more lighthouses than any nation in the world. Some of the most notable have been preserved and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many others are now in the hands of local groups who are working diligently to restore them as parks and museums.
The Great Lakes region
With its unique location and geography, the Great Lakes region and Michigan in particular is blessed with many historical lighthouses. According to the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, Michigan has nearly 120 lighthouses in Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior. Their official Light List also includes navigational aids on the Detroit River, Lake Saint Clair, the Saint Clair River and the Saint Mary’s River. If you want more detail about a specific light, I would urge you to visit www.michiganlights.com. It’s an excellent resource.
While I’ve poked around land-based lighthouses for years and written a number of articles about them, I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing and photographing very many lighthouses from the water. Of course, you get a good look at Round Island Lighthouse on the way to Mackinaw Island, but I don’t think that really counts. So the idea of a lighthouse cruise really intrigues me. Perhaps you, too.
Lighthouse cruises
St. Mary’s River lighthouse cruise. This is four-hour jaunt offered regularly in the summer in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. Call 800/432-6301 for details and to make reservations, which are essential.
Shepler’s, the folks who have made a career of ferrying fudge seekers back and forth between Michigan’s mainland peninsulas and Mackinac Island, also offer several lighthouse cruises. They offer both eastbound and westbound excursions out of Mackinaw City. Call 800/828-6157 for schedules, costs and reservations.
The Apostle Islands Cruise Service offers cruises for close-up viewing of the remarkable Apostle Islands (near Bayfield, WI) and their lighthouses. Call 800/323-7619 for details and reservations. To keep generally informed about other lighthouse-related events, you might want to check out the site of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association. Just visit their calendar of events at www.gllka.com.