Big Sable Point Light Station, north of Ludington, Michigan - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

A lighthouse on the shore of Lake Michigan at Big Sable Point a little north of Ludington, Michigan.
In 1855 there were twelve ship wrecks in the treacherous waters between Big Sable Point and present day Ludington, MI. Finally in 1867 a light house was built.

It was a brick tower with walls five feet thick at the base tapering to two feet thick at the top. A 3rd order Fresnel lens was installed. An inspection in 1898 found the bricks to be flaking and there was concern about damage to the structural integrity if nothing was done. In 1900, the brick tower was encased in steel. Due to its remote location, it was the last Great Lakes lighthouse to be electrified in 1949. Electrification leads to automation, and in 1968 the lighthouse keeper's position was eliminated.

During the late 1970's Lake Michigan had unusual high water levels, and the old seawall was breached. The water came close to undermining the lighthouse before a new seawall could be built.

In 1987 the Big Sable Point Lighthouse Keepers Association was formed to restore and preserve this lighthouse, and it appears they have been doing a very good job.

The lighthouse is in Ludington State Park. Being a Michigan state park, an entrance fee is charged. When entering the park, ask for information on the lighthouse. You will receive a one page sheet with some history and directions on how to find it. Visiting the lighthouse requires a 1.5 mile walk on either of two routes. One route is a fairly level path through the sand dunes, and the other is along the lake shore. A couple of days a year a bus is run for people unable to walk. See the link below for dates, etc.

The two following web sites seem to have the best information on this lighthouse:
(visit link)
(visit link)

Street address: Ludington State Park north of Ludington, MI USA County / Borough / Parish: Mason County Year listed: 1983 Historic (Areas of) Significance: architecture/engineering Periods of significance: 1850 - 1874, 1900 - 1924 Historic function: Transportation, water navigation Current function: Transportation, water navigation Privately owned?: no Season start / Season finish: From: 05/06/2020 To: 10/25/2020 Hours of operation: From: 10:00 AM To: 5:00 PM Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   09/03/2021 Meaptastic visited it 07/27/2020 pixelteer425 visited it 10/18/2016 just for the fun visited it 08/30/2008 S5280ft visited it 08/29/2008 Team_Fitz visited it

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