Cross at entrance to Covenant Retreat and Campground
John 3:16
Chapel
Can you find the Turtle?
Now on to the lighthouses of the day. The first lighthouse scheduled was the Saginaw River Rear Range. After over an hour of searching, we could not find any place to get a clear picture of the lighthouse. It is located on Dow Chemical property and therefore we were not invited in..........
We even went to the Coast Guard Station across the river and they graciously let us on their property to see if we could see the lighthouse from their property, but the marsh weeds were too tall to see anything. Disappointed, we moved on.
After ending that lighthouse hunt, we made a short stop to take pictures of the the Navy Destroyer USS Edson (Not Edison). It was commissioned in 1958 and decommissioned in 1988. Home port was Long Beach, California.
Amphibious vehicle from USS Edson
Our next lighthouse was located two miles off shore in Port Austin, Michigan. Fortunately it was a clear day and we were able to get some pictures. They are not the best of pictures considering the distance. This lighthouse was finished in 1878 to mark several shallow underwater rocks. In February 2013 the Coast Guard deeded the lighthouse to the Port Austin Reef Light Association. The nickname of this lighthouse is "Castle on the Lake"
Port Austin Reef Lighthouse
The next lighthouse, Pointe aux Barques, located at the extreme northeast tip of Michigan's "Thumb"
The English translation is Point of Little Ships. In 1849, Catherine Shook became the first female lighthouse keeper on the Great Lakes after her husband Peter drowned. The original lighthouse was built in 1849 and replaced in 1857 and still stands today and is an active navigational aid.
Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse
History of the Lighthouse
Assistant Keepers House
The Lantern Room
The next lighthouse we visited was Harbor Beach. In 1885 the Corps of Engineers built a three mile long breakwater in order to produce a safe harbor on the western edge of Lake Huron. The lighthouse marks the eastern entrance to the Harbor. The lighthouse was built at the same time. On July 2010, it was transferred from the Coast Guard to the Harbor Beach Lighthouse Preservation Society who were stewards of the light since the early 1980's.
Harbor Beach Lighthouse
Dual flags are seen all along the lake shores along the great lakes except for Lake Michigan
Harbor Security
We unexpectantly came across an unlisted/unknown lighthouse as we were going down the road to see the Sanilac Lighthouse. It was not on the water side of the road so we weren't sure it was a legit lighthouse. The White Rock Memorial Lighthouse was built as a private residence and as a memorial to the 1856 White Rock Lighthouse which was destroyed by fire in 1871. White Rock was the largest town in the territory in 1776. It was a busy port prior to the 1871 fire. The light is not a replica of the original but is similar in design. White Rock today is little more than a wide spot in the road. So sad............
White Rock Memorial Lighthouse
On to our last lighthouse for the day - The Port Sanilac Lighthouse was built in 1886 at the midpoint between Fort Gratoit and Port aux Barques. It stands 59 feet tall and the keepers house is attached.
Jeff Shook, founder of Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy and owner of St. Clair Flats Canal Range Light Station, purchased Port Sanilac Lighthouse for his family in 2014 for $855,000. While he plans to use the property as a vacation home, Shook's great-great-great-great-grandparents were the first keepers at Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse which we saw earlier today. Shook is investigating the idea of opening the lighthouse to the public on a limited basis.
Port Sanilac Lighthouse
Guess where we had a late lunch/early dinner? Haven't been to one of these in years! I won't bore you with how yummy the food was..............that wouldn't be nice! (the strawberry pie was AWESOME! Couldn't help myself!)
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