Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse ( ) is an active lighthouse located in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located along the shores of Lake Huron on the northeastern tip of the Thumb. Originally constructed in 1848, it is one of the oldest active lighthouses in the state. The name is translated as "point of little boats" from the French language, which refers to the shallow coastline that poses a threat to larger boats.
History
In the mid-19th century most travel was by sailing vessel. There were few or no roads, and only a few steamships were operating on the Great Lakes. Navigation was still primitive by today's standards. Vessels followed the coastline of the lakes until there was a need to cross a large body of water, and then a compass and sextant were the major navigation tools.
Sailing schooners left Detroit and the St. Clair River and soon left the sight of the 1825 Fort Gratiot Light and began the perilous trip north along the Lake Huron shore. The next light to the north was located at Thunder Bay Island (1832), more than north of Fort Gratiot. Any vessel sailing up the Lake Huron coast stood a good chance of running aground on the reef extending out from Pointe aux Barques. The reef is only covered by some two feet of water and stuck out nearly two miles into Lake Huron.
Pointe aux Barques was also used as a turning point for vessels destined to the Saginaw River. A lighthouse had been established at the mouth of the Saginaw River as early as 1841, but the trip to Saginaw Bay required steering clear of Pointe aux Barques reef.
The lighthouse was intended to be constructed near the Thumb's most northwestern point at Pointe Aux Barques however it was ultimately constructed approximately east / southeast in what is now Huron Township.
President James K. Polk appropriated $5,000 to build the first lighthouse structure on July 3, 1847. The first keeper, Peter Shook, and his family moved in in 1848. In 1849 the keeper's dwelling burned to the ground. The first light tower was built on this location in 1847, at a cost of $5,000. It was first lit for the 1848 shipping season. The tower was poorly constructed and needed to be replaced after only 10 years.
The present 1857 light is a conical white brick tower, tall, with a focal plane of above Lake Huron. A rotating Third Order Fresnel lens provided a flash every two minutes visible as far as out on the lake. The tower is attached to a 2-story, brick keeper's dwelling by a matching brick passageway.
The new taller light tower helped guide vessels away from the hazardous reef, but wrecks continued to occur. In 1875 a United States Life Saving Service station was built just south of the lighthouse.
An assistant keeper's house was added in 1908, and the light was upgraded to an incandescent vapor lamp in 1914. The change increased the lights range to over the lake, and further protection was added in 1918 with the addition of a lighted, bell buoy some two and a quarter miles off shore at the end of the point.
Electrification came to Point aux Barques in 1932 and the incandescent light bulb in the Third Order lens with bull's-eyes provided an output of 120,000 candlepower. The Coast Guard assumed responsibility for the nation's aids to navigation in 1939, and the way was paved for complete automation. The signal was further improved around 1950 with the removal of the Fresnel lens and the installation of rotating DCB-224 aero beacons rated at 1,000,000 candlepower. Putting aside questions of nostalgia, aesthetics, or appreciation for the engineering of a bygone era (as exemplified by the Fresnel lens), this iteration of lighthouse illumination is itself incredibly effective, and an endangered remnant of another bygone era.
Michigan Historical Marker
On Sunday, August 5, 2007, a Michigan Historical Marker was dedicated at the grounds of the lighthouse. Cindy Krueger, an employee of the Department of History, Arts, and Libraries (HAL) and the great-great-great-granddaughter of light keepers Peter and Catherine Shook, presented the marker.
The State Historic Preservation Office, which administers the Michigan Historical Marker Program, awarded a $31,000 Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Grant to the county for a historic structures report and plans and specifications for the restoration of the lighthouse. The Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Grant is funded through the sale of the "Save our Lights" specialty license plates. The county received an additional $70,000 CMI (Clean Michigan Initiative) grant from the Department of Environmental Quality for restoration.