Whitefish Point, Michigan
Harbour Lights #478

Whitefish Point is the oldest operating light on the southeast shore of Lake Superior!

Whitefish Point had a reputation among mariners as the place where pounding gales and storms were so frequent that it earned the nickname “Graveyard of the Lakes.” Whitefish Point has been the sight of more than seventy shipwrecks, the most famous happening on November 10, 1975. An unexplained malfunction caused the lighthouse to be inoperative and the Edmond Fitzgerald was lost!

Completed in 1848 with a price tag of $8,298, some $3,298 more than originally appropriated by Ebenezer Warner, the light went into service in early 1849 with James B. Van Ranselaer as the first Keeper. It should be noted, James A. Starr was originally appointed to the post, but resigned his commission on May 2,1849 due to late construction and the delay of operating the light until the 1849 season.

Whitefish Point’s remote location made it difficult to retain Keepers. In the first decade of operation seven men came and went.

The 65’ tower of stone with six windows to light the interior had a lantern room that could be reached by climbing a magnificent yellow pine spiral stairway that ended with an 8’ iron ladder leading to the scuttle door on the stone deck.

The Keeper’s dwelling was a stone, 1 1/2 story building, with two rooms on the first floor, the sleeping quarters in the attic.

The octagonal lantern room housed thirteen Lewis Lamps, each equipped with a 14-inch silvered reflector.

In 1857, a Fourth Order Fresnel Lens replaced the Lewis Lamps. This Fourth Order Lens increased visibility by 13 miles.

President Abraham Lincoln concerned about mariners’ safety and protecting the Union’s supply of iron ore ordered a more resilient sentinel be built. An “iron pile” lighthouse providing the necessary structure to withstand the elements was constructed in 1861.

Today the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum occupies Whitefish Point. This museum houses artifacts and stands as a memorial to those who lost their lives.