Lake Michigan Lighthouses

August 28th, 2008 Author:

Well, so much for my intended break from the site. But I just found something that I can do with my photos on Flickr and I wanted to share it with you guys.

So here is a slide show of all the lighthouses on Lake Michigan that I have photographed so far. There’s 13 different lighthouses in the slide show. We’ve seen 15 total, but I didn’t take a picture of one and the other one I haven’t put up on Flickr yet.

Here is the link to my lighthouse set if you’d like a closer look at these shots.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sierravisions/sets/72157604174304266/

9 Responses to “Lake Michigan Lighthouses”

  1. Allie says:

    Hi Steven!! These are wonderful. I have never have seen a light house, now I want to! Are they all still in operation?
    Your pictures are just awesome! Thanks. I hope you have a nice holiday weekend. HIT!! :)

    • Steven says:

      Some of the lighthouses are still in operation. The big lamps have been replaced by modern ones, but they are still being used to guide ships to safety on the Great Lakes.

      • Mike says:

        Hope you get to photograph them all. I remember reading that Michigan has the most lighthouses of any state.

        Not sure if you ever got to see it, but Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Pescadero, CA has an anniversary celebration every hear around middle of November (I think it’s saturday closest to Nov 15). During the celebration they light up the original 1st order Fresnel Lense. It’s really an amazing sight. The lense concentrates the beams of light in 16 directions.

        This is a shot from 2005.
        http://www.luminous-exposure.com/Lighthouses/Images/IMG_2005_30359.jpg

        • Steven says:

          No I haven’t been to that lighthouse Mike. Looks cool though. Thanks for the picture. I have seen a 1st order Fresnel Lens in the Point Arena Lighthouse in Northern California. It’s pretty awesome to see up close.

          The largest lens used on The Great Lakes was a 2nd order Fresnel and there were only five lighthouses that used one. We just visited one of them this week. The Grosse Point Lighthouse in Evenston IL has a 2nd order Fresnel. I guess they still light it up every now and then. That would be cool to see.

          • Mike says:

            I’ve been to Point Arena twice. Unfortunatly last time I was there, you weren’t allowed up next to the lense anymore. Too many people touching it, damaging it or whatever. =(

            Hope you get to see one lit.

  2. Ally says:

    Somehow you need to publish your photos. Over the years you have grown as a photographer. These are beautiful…..so glad you got you comments back up. Hey BTW, it is a beautiful morning up here in the Eastern Sierra’s…..don’t you miss it just a little bit.

  3. Karl says:

    Great shots as always Steve. I had no idea there were so many lighthouses in that part of the world.

    On a totally different subject, the Fresno Bee today begins a series of articles on historic airplane crashes in the Sierra Nevada. One of the writers will be hiking to the Mendel Glacier where the remains of several crewmembers were found preserved in ice over the past few years. It promises to be a fascinating series. Go to:

    http://www.fresnobee.com/lostflights/

    • Steven says:

      Thanks for the link Karl.

      FYI, there are over 70 lighthouses along the shoreline and islands of Lake Michigan alone. Not all are still being used, but many are. It’s my goal to see and photograph them all. I’m at 15 right now.

      The Great Lakes are some of the most dangerous waters out there. I just read that it is estimated that there have been from 6000-10,000 shipwrecks on the Great Lakes with 3000 of them on Lake Michigan. Here is a link to that article
      http://chestertontribune.com/Local%20History/3191%20hundreds_of_shipwrecks_populate.htm

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