Menominee North Pier Lighthouse, Menominee Harbor, Menominee County, Michigan
Established in 1877, with a new structure built in 1927.
MENOMINEE (NORTH PIER) LIGHT, MICHIGAN
MENOMINEE HARBOR, LAKE MICHIGAN, MENOMINEE, MICHIGAN
Station Established: 1887
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1927
Operational? YES
Automated? 1972
Deactivated: N/A
Foundation Materials: PIER/CONCRETE
Construction Materials: CAST IRON
Tower Shape: OCTAGONAL
Markings/Pattern: RED WITH BLACK LANTERN/WHITE BASE
Relationship to Other Structure: SEPERATE
Original Lens: FOURTH ORDER FRESNEL
HISTORICAL INFORMATION:
- A lighthouse was built on the Menominee Harbor in 1877. Sadly no record exists of this lighthouse so its design, building materials and location are unknown at the present time.
- As a result of large scale mining in the area, massive improvements were made to the Menominee Harbor in the 1920’s. In 1927 a cast iron lighthouse was installed on the north pier of the Harbor. It was 37 feet tall, white and housed a Fourth Order Fresnel lens. An attached fog signal building was also built, along with a raised wooden catwalk to keep the keepers from being washed out to sea when the waves would wash over the pier.
- While the exact date is unknown, at some point the wooden pier was replaced with a concrete structure which included a forty foot diameter crib under the lighthouse and the fog signal building was dismantled.
The light was automated in 1972 and the catwalk was removed. The lighthouse was placed on a white base and painted bright red. The light remains an active aid to navigation and is not open to the public.