South Manitou Island Light

Infobox_Lighthouse

---

caption = South Manitou Island Lighthouse
location = South Manitou Island, Michigan
coordinates = coord|45.00722|-86.09389
yearbuilt =
yearlit = 1872
automated =
yeardeactivated = 1958
foundation = Oak pilings, cut limestone
construction = Brick and masonry, Italianate bracketing
shape = Conical
marking = white w/black trim and lantern
height = Tower - convert|65|ft|m
elevation = Focal plane - convert|104|ft|m
lens = Third order Fresnel lens
currentlens =
intensity =
range = convert|17.5|mi|km
characteristic =
admiralty =
NGA =
ARLHS =

South Manitou Island Lighthouse is located on South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan, 16 miles west of Leland, Michigan. It is in Leelanau County in western Northern Michigan. This is the third lighthouse built on the island. Construction of the first began in 1839 and the 1-1/2-story lighthouse with a lens in the cupola first went on in 1840, under the care of Lighthouse keeper William N. Burton, who had a thriving lumbering business. [ [http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_digest.asp?action=get_article&sk=1473&bhcd2=1217863654 Merket, Jim, "Lighthouse Towered Over Lake Michigan Refuge", Lighthouse Digest, November, 2002.] ] It had a Lewis lamp, which was upgraded to a fourth order Fresnel lens (pronounced [freɪ'nel] ). Deterioration of the building led to the lighthouse being completely rebuilt in 1858. Over time this light was found to be deficient, and the current lighthouse was built in 1872. With a third order Fresnel lens sitting 91 feet above the foundation, this light boasted a focal plane of 104 feet. [ [http://www.terrypepper.com/Lights/michigan/southmanitou/southmanitou.htm Seeing the Light, Terry Pepper on South Manitou Island Light.] ] The site is currently under the control of the National Park Service, in conjunction with the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore [ [http://www.sleepingbeardunes.com/ Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake Shore Visitors Bureau.] ] . It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. [ [http://www.michiganlights.com/southmanitouislandlh.htm Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, South Manitou Island Light.] ] The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1958, and is presently a museum. It is not operational. [ [http://www.ipl.org/div/light/GL/SManitouIs.html South Manitou Island, Internet library.] ]

“The lighthouse on South Manitou Island is, or was while it was still in operation, perhaps the most beautiful on the Great Lakes,” [Vent, Myron H., "South Manitou Island: From Pioneer Community to National Park" (1973).]

Guide Emily McKinney stated: “You’re not only looking at Lake Michigan out there, you’re looking at the Manitou Passage,” she said. “It’s a big stretch of water between the Straits of Mackinac in Chicago, 300 miles. If you use you imagination, take yourselves back 150 years ago.” The passage was preferred as safer than being on the open lake -- so much so that 1,000 ships passed each day, carrying people and commerce -- the passageway nonetheless was treacherous. [ [http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_digest.asp?action=get_article&sk=1473&bhcd2=1217863654 Merket, Jim, "Lighthouse Towered Over Lake Michigan Refuge", Lighthouse Digest, November, 2002.] ]

Congress appropriated $5,000 for a South Manitou Island light in 1838. A report to the Secretary of the Treasury noted that the island offered shelter from storms and fuel for steamships. The report opined that it was the only all weather harbor admitting large vessels in the 300-mile direct route from the Straits of Mackinac to Chicago. For those in storms, the sight of the beacon would have been a magnificent one, McKinney says. "Before the light went on, a man who had been in a boat on a storm-tossed lake in the area of South Manitou recounted the sense of terror he felt. It might have been different after the light’s construction, McKinney summed up: “All these people on the boat, scared and frightened, look up and see a 100-foot-tall whitewashed tower with that white light, shining on the lake. It would have looked just like an angel.” [ [http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_digest.asp?action=get_article&sk=1473&bhcd2=1217863654 Merket, Jim, "Lighthouse Towered Over Lake Michigan Refuge", Lighthouse Digest, November, 2002.] ]

The light has been the sight of a number of accidents and fatalities. Keeper Aaron Sheridan, his wife and their infant on March 15, 1878 died in a boating accident near the light. The Three Brothers shipwreck is within sight of the light.

The Manitou Island Memorial Society has been formed to preserve, protect, restore and "relight the light" on South Manitou Island and elsewhere. [ [http://www.leelanau.com/lighthouse/ Manitou Island Memorial Society] ] The dwelling's inside is closed and covered with graffiti. Fundraising efforts are on directed to removing the graffiti and repairing the lighthouse buildings. In the 1980s the towers foundation was reinforced to protect it from erosion at a time of high lake levels which threatened to topple the structure. Today, the tower is open and guides offer tours.

Additional reading

* [http://www.michiganlighthouse.org/bibliography.html Bibliography on Michigan lighthouses.]
* Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein, "The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses" (2002) ISBN 1592231020; ISBN 978-1592231027.
* Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan. "The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes." Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995. ISBN 0814325548 ISBN 9780814325544.
* Jones, Ray & Bruce Roberts, "American Lighthouses" (Globe Pequot, September 1, 1998, 1st Ed.) ISBN 0762703245; ISBN 978-0762703241.
* Jones, Ray,"The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference" (Globe Pequot, January 1, 2004, 1st ed.) ISBN 0762727357; ISBN 978-0762727353.
* Noble, Dennis, "Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy" (Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997). ISBN 1557506388; ISBN 9781557506382.
* Oleszewski, Wes, "Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses", (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
* Penrod, John, "Lighthouses of Michigan", (Berrien Center, Michigan: Penrod/Hiawatha, 1998) ISBN 9780942618785 ISBN 9781893624238.
*
* Putnam, George R., "Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States", (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
* United States Coast Guard, "Aids to Navigation", (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
* [http://www.uscg.mil/History/weblighthouses/h_lhbib.asp United States Coast Guard, "Aids to Navigation Historical Bibliography".]
*
* Wagner, John L., "Michigan Lighthouses: An Aerial Photographic Perspective", (East Lansing, Michigan: John L. Wagner, 1998) ISBN 1880311011 ISBN 9781880311011.
* Wargin, Ed, "Legends of Light: A Michigan Lighthouse Portfolio" (Ann Arbor Media Group, 2006). ISBN 9781587262517.
* Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, "Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia" Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1550463993.

Notes

ee also

*Lighthouses in the United States

External links

* [http://clarke.cmich.edu/localhistory/Leelanau.htm Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography for Leelanau County.]
* [http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/SPECIAL01/80519001 Detroit News, Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses.]
* [http://www.lighthousesrus.org/Maps/mapIt.htm?file=GL/MichiganNorth.xml Interactive map of Lights in Northern Lake Michigan, mapped by Google.]
* [http://lighthousesrus.org/MichiganNorth.htm Interactive map/list/information of lighthouses in northeastern Lake Michigan] by LighthousesRus
* [http://www.lighthousecentral.com/lighthouse_gallery.php4?lighthouse=South%20Manitou%20Island%20Lighthouse Lighthouse Central, Photographs, History, Directions and Way points for South Manitou Island Light, "The Ultimate Guide to West Michigan Lighthouses" by Jerry Roach (Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC - 2005).] ISBN 0-9747977-0-7.
* [http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/miwl.htm Lighthouse Digest, Western Michigan lights, South Manitou Island Light, University of North Carolina.]
* [http://www.leelanau.com/lighthouse/ Manitou Island Lighthouse Society.]
* [http://www.michigan.gov/documents/hal_mhc_shpo_lightmap_50933_7.pdf Map of Michigan Lighthouse] in PDF Format.
* [http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_digest.asp?action=get_article&sk=1473&bhcd2=1217863654 Merket, Jim, "Lighthouse Towered Over Lake Michigan Refuge", Lighthouse Digest, November, 2002.]
* [http://www.michiganlights.com/southmanitouislandlh.htm Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, South Manitou Island Light.]
* [http://www.michiganlighthouse.org/Lighthouses/lighthouse_detail.php98.htm Michigan lighthouse fund, South Manitou Island Light.]
*National Park Service, [http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/park/smanitou.htm Inventory of lights, South Manitou.]
* [http://www.terrypepper.com/Lights/michigan/southmanitou/southmanitou.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, South Manitou Island Light.]
*U.S. Coast Guard's [http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHMI.asp complete list of Michigan lights, including South Manitou Island Light.]
* [http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Michigan/southmanitou.htm Wobser, David, South Manitou Island Light, boatnerd.com.]