Thunder Bay Island is a island 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 ...

. The island is one of eight constituent islands of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The island is part of Alpena Township in

Alpena County Alpena County ( ') is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 28,907. The county seat is Alpena. It is considered to be part of Northern Michigan. Alpena County comprises the Alpena, MI Micropo ...

. It marks the entrance to Thunder Bay, the harbor of Alpena, Michigan and the location of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The island is the home of a historic

Thunder Bay Island Light Thunder Bay Island Light, located on Thunder Bay Island's southeast tip, is one of the oldest operating lighthouses in Michigan. The third operating U.S. lighthouse in Lake Huron was built here in 1831, but it disintegrated almost at once and wa ...

, which in its current form dates to 1857, and adjacent quarters for the lightkeeper. The island also contains the sites of quarters for lifesaving service personnel and private-sector fishermen.

History

Light station

The third operating U.S. lighthouse in Lake Huron was built here in 1831.

Lifesaving station

Thunder Bay Island was also the site of a station, opened in 1876, operated by the United States Life-Saving Service. It operated under that name until 1939, when the Life-Saving Service was consolidated into the Coast Guard.

Fishing station

In addition to the lightkeepers and lifesaving servicemen, who were employees of the U.S. federal government, private-sector families lived on Thunder Bay Island in the 1800s. During the 1830s and 1840s, a commodity market in barrelled fish arose on Lake Huron. The fresh-caught fish was quickly brought to a fishing station after being caught, and salted for preservation. A fishing station sprouted on Thunder Bay Island during this period, and an 1846 gazetteer counted 160 settlers on the island and 31 fishing boats that called the island their home port. Most of these fishing boats were small

Mackinaw boat The Mackinaw boat is a loose, non-standardized term for a light, open sailboat used in the interior of North America during the fur trading era. Within this term two different ''Mackinaw boats'' evolved: one for use on the upper Great Lakes, and t ...

s. The total catch is said to have been 12,000 barrels of fish per year. The Thunder Bay Island fishing station supported a small general store. After a few decades, however, the yield of Lake Huron fish declined. The Thunder Bay Island fishing station became a ghost town.

References

*Stephen D. Tongue, "Lanterns & Lifeboats: A History of Thunder Bay Island" (Alpena, Mich.; Serge Publications, 2004).

External links

Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Satellite view of Sugar and Thunder Bay Islands.
Google Maps. {{Authority control Bodies of water of Alpena County, Michigan Uninhabited islands of Michigan Islands of Lake Huron in Michigan Islands of Alpena County, Michigan