Bois Blanc Light can refer to one of five

lighthouses A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mark ...

erected on Bois Blanc Island,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, in

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...

. Two of the lighthouses are currently standing. The lighthouse and surrounding property are privately owned and closed to the public.

History

The original structure, built in 1829, was the second lighthouse constructed on Lake Huron. Due to rising water levels, the lighthouse became unstable, and eventually collapsed on December 9, 1837. The lighthouse was rebuilt in the summer of 1839, further inland from the original structure. Eventually this structure also became dilapidated, and a new lighthouse was constructed in 1867. This light was decommissioned in 1924 and boarded up, being replaced by an automated

acetylene Acetylene (systematic name: ethyne) is the chemical compound with the formula and structure . It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in its pure ...

light atop a tall black steel skeleton tower to the east of the old light. The old station property and buildings were sold to Earl J. Coffey on August 24, 1925, and some time thereafter the steel skeletal tower was replaced by the currently operational cylindrical D9 tower with solar-powered acrylic optic, which is basically a tube with a light on the top. It is functional, but spartan.

Legacy

The 1867 lighthouse is now owned by the Martin and Reinhart Jahn families, who have gone to great lengths in restoring the historic structure, which was in severely deteriorated condition when they took ownership. The structures on the site are a remarkably complete set, and also include the old life saving station, a brick

outhouse An outhouse is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket toilet, but other forms of dry toilet, dry (non-flushing) toilets may be encountered. The term may als ...

, a brick oil shed, and a cement boathouse on the South side of the island. The light is listed on the state inventory of historic structures. A private boat is, of course, the best way to see this light close up. Short of that, Shepler's Ferry Service out of

Mackinaw City Mackinaw City ( ) is a village in Emmet and Cheboygan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 846 at the 2010 census, the population increases during summertime, including an influx of tourists and seasonal workers who serve ...

offers periodic lighthouse cruises in the summer season. Its "Eastbound Tour" includes passes by Round Island Light, Bois Blanc Island and Lighthouse,

Poe Reef Light Poe Reef is a lighthouse located at the east end of South Channel between Bois Blanc Island and the mainland of the Lower Peninsula, about east of Cheboygan, Michigan. Poe Reef has historically caused problems for shipping. Powered vessels hea ...

and Fourteen Foot Shoal Light. Schedules and rates are available from Shepler's. It is also possible to do a

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

tour of the Mackinac Straits to see the lights in the area.

Specialized Further reading

* Brisson, Steven C. (Mackinac State Historic Parks chief curator). ''Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse: A History & Pictorial Souvenir'' (1/29/2008).Old Mackinac Point Light Press Release.
/ref> * "A Tour of the Lights of the Straits." Michigan History 70 (Sep/Oct 1986), pp. 17–29.

Notes

External links

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20030518033305/http://www.lighthousefriends.com/macstraits.html Lighthouses in the Mackinac Straits
Interactive map, pictures, descriptions of Northern Lake Huron lights

Michigan Lighthouse Friends, Bois Blanc Light
*

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

br>Maritime Heritage Program, Inventory of Historic Lights, Old Bois Blanc Island light

U.S. Coast Guard Search & Rescue Index

at Boatnerd.com
Bois Blanc Island Lighthouse - United States Lighthouses
{{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1829 Lighthouses completed in 1867 Houses completed in 1867 Lighthouses in Mackinac County, Michigan 1829 establishments in Michigan Territory Lake Huron Michigan State Historic Sites in Mackinac County