The Sturgeon Point Light Station is a lighthouse located on Lake Huron in Haynes Township, Alcona County, in the northeastern part of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. It was built to warn sailors away from a reef that stretches 1.5 miles (2.4 km) toward the lake from Sturgeon Point. Today, it is considered a historic example of a Cape Cod style Great Lakes lighthouse.

History

The light station was built in 1869 by the United States Lighthouse Board. The Board was building many lighthouses on the Great Lakes because of increased ship traffic and because many ships and people were lost. Congress approved 70 lights on the western Great Lakes over thirty years: 28 in the 1850s, and 21 in each of the next two decades. The location is about halfway between Alpena's Thunder Bay Island and the northern entrance to Saginaw Bay. This point is on a large reef that is a serious danger to ships. The area north of Sturgeon Point and south of Alcona, Michigan, is a bay that can protect ships from strong winds and waves. Historically, this area is called "Sanctuary Bay," which is very different from "Misery Bay," the area to the north between Alpena and Thunder Bay Island. The Lighthouse Board recognized that being able to navigate near but not over the reef and point would help ships move into and out of Saginaw Bay.

The light station is made of brick on a limestone foundation. The tower is 70 feet 9 inches (21.56 meters) tall, with a base 16 feet (4.9 meters) wide. The focal plane is listed by the Coast Guard at 69 feet (21 meters), which is the height from the "mean high water mark." This measurement helps sailors use triangulation to find their distance from the light. The two-story Lighthouse keeper’s quarters was built in the Cape Cod style and made of the same materials. At the time, the Board often used this design. Poverty Island Light, built in 1874, is considered a "sibling" because it is a direct copy of Sturgeon Point.

The light began with a sixth-order Fresnel lens, which was later upgraded to a 3½-order lens originally used in Oswego, New York. It was one of only a dozen such lenses in the United States, most on the Great Lakes. Other Great Lakes 3½-order lenses were at: DeTour Reef (two lenses after the bivalve lens broke), Eagle Bluff, Grays Reef, Huron Island, Michigan Island, St. Helena Island, and Toledo Harbor.

The lens at Sturgeon Point is definitely a 3½-order lens. Terry Pepper, executive director of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keeper Association, confirmed this in 2012. Evidence also includes a 1870 journal entry by the District Lampist: "Sturgeon Point, No. 449 – This is a new station first lighted this spring. The illuminating apparatus consists of a 3½ Order Fresnel lens of 270°, Henry Lepaute maker, and is fitted with Funck’s hydraulic float lamps, showing a fixed white light. The apparatus was in excellent condition except for one damaged spare burner. A spirit lamp is needed to heat oil in cold weather."

However, some reports conflict about the current lens size, with some calling it a third-order lens and others a 3½-order lens. The 3½-order Fresnel lens is still in place and was in use as of July 31, 2012. It is one of only 70 such lenses still working in the United States, with sixteen on the Great Lakes, eight in Michigan.

In 1876, the light station had an adjacent United States Life-Saving Service station added to its service. The presence of this light on a dangerous reef has prevented many accidents. In 1875, a U.S. Life-Saving Service station opened, and the first light keeper became the first captain of the surf team. In 1915, the station became part of the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1939, the U.S. Lighthouse Service merged with the Coast Guard, and the station was electrified and automated. By the 1940s, the light was fully automated, and the Coast Guard removed all personnel in 1941, later dismantling the life-saving station. A claim that the station was "abandoned" in the 1940s is incorrect; the light remains active today.

The lifesaving bell was stolen in 1951 and returned anonymously in 2002 to the Alcona County Historical Society. The fog horn building was torn down, but the brick outhouse from 1869 remains. The Life-Saving station’s foundation is still visible, and the lifesaving watch tower was also torn down. In 1982, the Alcona Historical Society leased the light and began a three-year restoration. The keeper’s house fell into disrepair until the society took over in 1982.

At the time of construction, Alcona County had an active commercial fishery. Northern Michigan was also in a timber boom, with wood products shipped from nearby ports. By the early 20th century, the Sturgeon Point Light mainly helped ships carrying bulk minerals, which did not stop at nearby ports.

Sturgeon Point is one of over 150 lighthouses in Michigan, which has more lighthouses than any other state. In the Big Blow of 1913, two ships with 28 victims each were reported to have sunk near Sturgeon Point: the John A. McGean and the Isaac M. Scott. However, the McGean is likely 9.5 miles east of Harbor Beach, Michigan, and the Scott was found in 1976, lying 7.5 miles northeast of Thunder Bay Island.

Contemporary status

Ownership of the lighthouse was transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. The Alcona Historical Society manages the site, which is part of Sturgeon Point State Park, managed by the Michigan DNR.

During the planning for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the Sturgeon Point Light was suggested as a marker for the southern edge of the sanctuary. However, the final boundary did not include the light. Despite this, 15 historic shipwrecks are recorded as having been lost near Sturgeon Point. Discussions about expanding the sanctuary and underwater preserve continue.

The U.S. Coast Guard still operates the lighthouse, but ownership was transferred to the Michigan DNR under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in May 2005. The Alcona Historical Society runs a museum in the restored buildings. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Sturgeon Point, where the lighthouse stands, is a Michigan Scenic Site managed by the Michigan DNR. It is also part of the National Maritime Heritage Program, managed by the National Park Service. The lighthouse was listed as a state historic site in 1982.

The lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places with reference number 84001370, titled "Sturgeon Point Light Station (U.S. Coast Guard/Great Lakes TR)," and was added to the state inventory in 1969.

In 2006, the U.S. Coast Guard briefly turned off the light. Public opposition led to over 5,000 signatures on petitions to "Save Our Light." After public comments and intervention by Senator Debbie Stabenow, the light was kept on, with the Alcona County Historical Society covering operating costs. It was designated a "seasonal private aid to navigation" from April 1 to November 1. The light remained on until July 2012.

As of 2012, the transfer of the lighthouse from the Coast Guard to the Michigan DNR under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act was still pending. The Alcona County Historical Society currently manages the site.

The lighthouse is often photographed, painted, or drawn because of its scenic location. It also appears in an illustrated children's book.

The area around the lighthouse supports sea grasses, goldenrod, Queen-Anne's lace, yarrow, and wild strawberries. Birds such as gulls, cormorants, killdeer, loons, and bald eagles are commonly found there.

For visitor information: Sturgeon Point Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, Sturgeon Point Road, Harrisville, MI 48740. Phone: (989) 724-5107.

Current events at the lighthouse and museum

The lighthouse is located in Sturgeon Point State Park, a state park in Michigan. The lighthouse is kept up and run by the Alcona Historical Society, a private group that uses limited public money to cover its costs. The society is currently working to collect donations to repair and paint the lighthouse.

The tower is open to the public during the summer for climbing, with a small fee to help pay for insurance. The museum on the site is also open to visitors and relies on donations for support.

On the grounds of the park is the Old Bailey School, a one-room schoolhouse built in 1907. It was moved from Mikado, Michigan, to its current location in 1998.

A strawberry social event is held at the Bailey School on the last Sunday of June, near the lighthouse. This event helps raise money for the Alcona Historical Society.

The annual Sturgeon Point Light Station Sanctuary Bay sailboat race, which includes a local picnic, is another fundraiser for the Alcona County Historical Society. The race takes place on the first Saturday in August and is open to all day sailors, including those with disabilities. The course involves sailing around a triangular path that is 6 miles (9.2 kilometers) long, twice, in Sanctuary Bay, the area between Sturgeon Point Light and Alcona.

Michigan is the only state that supports lighthouse preservation through a program that gives annual grants to local groups. Because of this, many organizations and their volunteers work to save and restore lighthouses. The Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy is a state group focused on lighthouse preservation, and the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association is based in Michigan. The Alcona County Historical Society is collecting $70,000 to repair its lighthouse, with half of the cost covered by the state of Michigan. The White Shoal Light is a well-known design used by Michigan as an icon on its "Save Our Lights" license plate to raise money for lighthouse preservation.