Bois
Blanc Island Light Located on the north end of Bois Blanc Island, to mark a shoal that juts out into northern Lake Huron. Bois Blanc Island is one of three island lying in a NW-SE orientation from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The northern most is Mackinac, then Round, then Bois Blanc. The lighthouse is a two-story, light-brick, dwelling with an attached square 38-foot tower jutting out from the front. Built in 1867, it is the third lighthouse on this location. The lantern room is 10-sided with a white roof and ventilator ball. The room originally held a Fourth Order Fresnel Lens. Other structures on the site included a brick oil shed, brick outhouse and a cement boathouse on south side of the island. In 1829 a 65-foot masonry tower with 13 lamps and reflectors occupied the site. The tower was separate from the keepers quarters. The tower was destroyed when it fell into the lake during a Dec. 9, 1837 storm. A second light was built in 1838. The 30-foot masonry tower had 9 lamps and 14-inch reflectors, with a fourth order lens installed 1857. This light was demolished to make way for the 1867 light. The light was decommissioned in 1955 and sold in 1956. It is a private residence. A newer 17-foot steel tower, just north of the (1867) light, houses an automated light. The only way to view this light is by private boat. |
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Dan Vernier
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