Misplaced Pages

#357642

78-499: Poe Reef has historically caused problems for shipping. Powered vessels heading west to Lake Michigan generally use South Channel, which is approximately three nautical miles wide, but Poe Reef sits close to the middle of the channel, and to the north of it the water is too shallow for lake freighters . Many attempts were made to position a lightship here but it was difficult. Four different lightships served beginning in 1893: Lightships Nos. 62, 59, 96, and No. 99. The Poe Reef Light

156-616: A British colonial and early American military base and fur trade center, founded in 1781. With the advent of European exploration into the area in the late 17th century, Lake Michigan became used as part of a line of waterways leading from the Saint Lawrence River to the Mississippi River and thence to the Gulf of Mexico . French coureurs des bois and voyageurs established small ports and trading communities, such as Green Bay, on

234-547: A designated scenic road system, connects all of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. The lake is a great place to view ice volcanoes, which typically occur at the start of the winter season. Spectacle Reef Light Spectacle Reef Light is a lighthouse 11 miles (18 km) east of the Straits of Mackinac and is located at the northern end of Lake Huron , Michigan . It

312-412: A massive demographic-shift, as their western neighbors fled the violence. The Iroquois sought refuge to the west and north of Lake Michigan. The Straits of Mackinac were an important Native American travel corridor and fur-trade route. Located on the southern side of the straits sits the town of Mackinaw City, Michigan , the site of Fort Michilimackinac (a reconstructed French fort founded in 1715); on

390-584: A permanent light here. The Poe Reef Light was completed in 1928. The Poe Reef Light is part of what became a complex of 14 reef lights in Michigan waters, which was intended to help ships navigate through and around the shoals and hazards of the Great Lakes. It is also "part of a series of a significant offshore light construction projects being undertaken in the Straits area in the late 1920s." The same crew that built this light also built St. Martin's Light from almost

468-466: A point between Milwaukee and Racine to a point between Grand Haven and Muskegon, divides the lake into northern and southern basins. Each basin has a clockwise flow of water, deriving from rivers and winds. Prevailing westerly winds tend to move the surface water toward the east, producing a moderating effect on the climate of western Michigan. There is a mean difference in summer water temperatures of 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 5 degrees Celsius) between

546-572: A potential liability in the worst weather when captains would depend on the charted location of these lights to measure their own ship's distance from dangerous rocks." See , United States lightship Huron (LV-103) . The Poe Reef is one of several that mark the passage through the South Channel. The other major light is Fourteen Foot Shoal Light . The decision was made by the United States Lighthouse Service in 1926 to construct

624-491: A result of improvements to the Welland Canal in 1918, an invasion of sea lampreys and overharvesting , there has been a decline in native lake trout populations, ultimately causing an increase in the population of another invasive species, the alewife . As a result, salmonids, including various strains of brown trout , steelhead ( rainbow trout ), coho and chinook salmon , were introduced as predators in order to decrease

702-530: A row in 2020. Lake levels tend to be the lowest in winter. The normal low-water mark is 1.00 foot (30 cm) below datum ( 577.5 ft or 176.0 m ). In the winter of 1964, Lakes Michigan and Huron reached their lowest level at 1.38 feet (42 cm) below datum. As with the high-water records, monthly low-water records were set each month from February 1964 through January 1965. During this twelve-month period, water levels ranged from 1.38 to 0.71 feet (42–22 cm) below Chart Datum. The all-time low-water mark

780-811: A similar process in constructing the Stannard Rock Light in Lake Superior in 1878. The Board achieved economies by getting 'double duty' from the "costly apparatus and machinery purchased" for the Spectacle Reef project. The location of the lighthouse makes it susceptible to wave fetch , which for this reef is 170 miles (270 km) to the southeast. Lake Huron ice fields, known as drift ice , which in this lake can be as much as two or more feet thick and measure thousands of acres in size, are moved by wintertime currents. Masses of these dimensions create "an almost irresistible force", which for Spectacle Reef Light

858-640: A tour of the Mackinac Straits and environs. Because of its relatively remote location, the Poe Reef Light does not have a high iconographic profile. Nevertheless, an embroidered image is available. Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( / ˈ m ɪ ʃ ɪ ɡ ən / MISH -ig-ən ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America . It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume (1,180 cu mi (4,900 km )) and depth (923 ft (281 m)) after Lake Superior and

SECTION 10

#1732908239358

936-430: Is 46 fathoms 3 feet (279 ft; 85 m), while its greatest depth is 153 fathoms 5 feet (923 ft; 281 m). It contains a volume of 1,183 cubic miles (4,932 km ) of water. Green Bay in the northwest is its largest bay. Grand Traverse Bay in its northeast is another large bay. Lake Michigan's deepest region, which lies in its northern half, is called Chippewa Basin (named after prehistoric Lake Chippewa ) and

1014-621: Is believed to have been the first European to reach Lake Michigan, possibly in 1634 or 1638. In the earliest European maps of the region, the name of Lake Illinois has been found (named for the Illinois Confederation of tribes), in addition to that of "Michigan". During the 1640s and 1650s, the Beaver Wars (over the fur trade with the European colonies), initiated by the Iroquois , forced

1092-727: Is controlled by the locks operated by the bi-national Lake Superior Board of Control . Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake that is wholly within the borders of the United States; the others are shared with Canada. Lake Michigan has a surface area of 22,404 sq mi (58,030 km ); (13,237 square miles (34,280 km ) lying in Michigan, 7,358 square miles (19,060 km ) in Wisconsin, 234 square miles (610 km ) in Indiana, & 1,576 square miles (4,080 km ) in Illinois) making it

1170-547: Is separated from South Chippewa Basin by a relatively shallower area called the Mid Lake Plateau. In the mid 20th century, construction of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway opened the Great Lakes to ocean-going vessels. But the wider ocean-going container ships that were developed later do not fit through the locks on these routes, which limits shipping on the lakes. Lake freighters are used on

1248-834: Is still in current service. In 2005, the Poe Reef Light lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the parallel state inventory of historic sites. The reef and light are named for lighthouse designer Orlando M. Poe . During ten years of service as Engineer for the Eleventh Lighthouse District he designed eight lighthouses, namely: New Presque Isle Light (1870) on Lake Huron; Lake Michigan 's South Manitou Island Light (1872); Grosse Point Lighthouse (1873) in Evanston, Illinois ; Au Sable Light (1874) on Lake Superior ; Wind Point Light (1880) near Racine, Wisconsin ; Outer Island Light (1874) in

1326-474: Is supported by tourism , with large seasonal populations attracted by Lake Michigan. Many seasonal residents have summer homes along the waterfront and return to other homes for the winter. The southern tip of the lake near Gary, Indiana, is heavily industrialized. Cities on the shores of Lake Michigan include: Illinois Indiana Michigan Wisconsin The National Park Service maintains

1404-433: Is the only Great Lake located fully in the United States; the other four are shared between the U.S. and Canada. It is the world's largest lake , by area, located fully in one country, and is shared, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin , Illinois , Indiana , and Michigan . Ports along its shores include Chicago , Illinois, Gary , Indiana, Milwaukee and Green Bay , Wisconsin, and Muskegon , Michigan. To

1482-655: Is visible from Lighthouse Point near the ruins of the Cheboygan Main Light Station in Cheboygan State Park and that locale will provide an opportunity for a picture, albeit from approximately 3 miles (4.8 km). Another location from which the Poe Reef Light can be seen from land is from Gordon Turner Park, in Cheboygan, Michigan, at the mouth of the Cheboygan River . A private boat is one way to see

1560-609: The Apostle Islands ; Little Sable Point Light (1874) on Lake Michigan, and Seul Choix Light near Manistique, Michigan which was completed in 1895; and his crowning achievement, Spectacle Reef Light . Others consider his "crowning achievement" to be the Poe Lock in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan . The closest mainland location to the lighthouse is Cordwood Point , a privately developed summer settlement east of Cheboygan. The lighthouse

1638-584: The Chicago Lakefront Trail . Where there are no beaches or marinas, stone or concrete revetments protect the shoreline from erosion. The Chicago lakefront is accessible for about 24 miles (39 km) between the city's southern and northern limits along the lake. Twelve million people live along Lake Michigan's shores, mainly in the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. The economy of many communities in northern Michigan and Door County, Wisconsin ,

SECTION 20

#1732908239358

1716-579: The Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers , intergovernmental organization led by the governing chief executives of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Québec , and by the governors of the U.S. states of Illinois , Indiana , Michigan , Minnesota , New York , Ohio , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin . The Conference came into force, in December 2008, with the enactment of laws in all of

1794-583: The Great Lakes . Between 1852 and 1860, it built 26 new lights. Even as the American Civil War and its aftermath slowed construction, it completed a dozen new lights in that decade. In the 1870s alone, it built 43 new lights on the lakes. During the 1880s, more than 100 lights were constructed. As the new century began, the Lighthouse Board operated 334 major lights, 67 fog horns and 563 buoys on

1872-714: The National Register of Historic Places as site #05000744, defined as "Located in northern Lake Huron, 10.3 miles (16.6 km). NNE of Ninemile Point, Benton Township, Michigan ". Spectacle Reef Lighthouse was one of five lighthouses chosen for the "Lighthouses of the Great Lakes" series; the postage stamp was designed by Howard Koslow in 1995. One lighthouse was chosen on each of the Great Lakes for this series. The five lighthouses are Split Rock Light on Lake Superior , St Joseph Light on Lake Michigan , Spectacle Reef Light on Lake Huron, Marblehead Light (Ohio) on Lake Erie and Thirty Mile Point Light on Lake Ontario . In 2020, The Spectacle Reef Preservation Society

1950-871: The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes National Park . Parts of the shoreline are within the Hiawatha National Forest and the Manistee National Forest . The Manistee National Forest section of the shoreline includes the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness . The Lake Michigan division of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge is also within the lake, as are the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge and

2028-602: The Waugoshance Light (1851) on a shoal, and demonstrated a "new level of expertise" in constructing of the Spectacle Reef Light (1874), Stannard Rock Light (1882), and Detroit River Light (1885). "The long and expensive process of building lights" in remote and difficult sites "ended in nationally publicized engineering projects that constructed" Rock of Ages Light (1908) and the White Shoal (1910) lights. In

2106-516: The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary . There are numerous state and local parks located on the shores of the lake or on islands within the lake: Lake Michigan is home to a small variety of fish species and other organisms. It was originally home to lake whitefish , lake trout , yellow perch , panfish , largemouth bass , smallmouth bass and bowfin , as well as some species of catfish . As

2184-530: The Coast Guard notes: "The focal plane is 4 feet 3 inches (1.30 m) above the top of the parapet , making it 97 feet 3 inches (29.64 m) above the top of the submerged rock and 86 feet 3 inches (26.29 m) above the surface of the water. For 34 feet (10 m) up the tower is solid and from them on up it is hollow. In it are five rooms, one above the other each 14 feet (4.3 m) in diameter, with varying heights. The walls of

2262-729: The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, which harvest 50 percent of the Great Lakes commercial catch in Michigan waters, and 45 state-licensed commercial fishing enterprises. The prime commercial species is the lake whitefish. The annual harvest declined from an average of 11 million pounds (5,000,000 kg) from 1981 through to 1999 to more recent annual harvests of 8 to 9.5 million pounds (3,600,000 to 4,300,000 kg). The price for lake whitefish dropped from $ 1.04/lb. to as low as $ 0.40/lb during periods of high production. Sports fishing includes salmon, whitefish, smelt , lake trout and walleye as major catches. In

2340-725: The Great Lakes by way of the Erie Canal and Hudson River in New York. The Erie Canal connects to the Great Lakes at the east end of Lake Erie (at Buffalo, New York ) and at the south side of Lake Ontario (at Oswego, New York ). The lake fluctuates from month to month with the highest lake levels typically occurring in summer. The normal high-water mark is 2.00 feet (0.61 m) above datum ( 577.5 ft (176.0 m) ). In October 1986, Lakes Michigan and Huron reached their highest level at 5.92 feet (1.80 m) above datum. The monthly average high-water records were broken for several months in

2418-444: The Great Lakes. During the 19th century, design of Great Lakes lights slowly evolved. Until 1870 the most common design was to build a keeper's dwelling with the light on the dwelling's roof or on a relatively small square tower attached to the house. In the 1870s, so as to raise lights to a higher focal plane , conical brick towers, usually between 80 and 100 feet tall, were constructed. In the 1890s steel-lined towers began to replace

Poe Reef Light - Misplaced Pages Continue

2496-505: The Michigan state stone, can be found. The beaches of the western coast and the northernmost part of the east coast are often rocky, with some sandy beaches. The southern and eastern beaches are typically sandy and dune-covered. This is partly because of the prevailing winds from the west (which also cause thick layers of ice to build on the eastern shore in winter). The Chicago city waterfront has been developed for parks, beaches , harbors and marinas, and residential developments connected by

2574-474: The Port District, Calumet Harbor , is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . Two passenger and vehicle ferries operate ferry services across Lake Michigan, both connecting Wisconsin on the western shore with Michigan on the east. From May to October, the historic steamship, SS  Badger , operates daily between Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Ludington, Michigan, connecting U.S. Highway 10 between

2652-414: The Wisconsin and Michigan shores. Hydrologically Michigan and Huron are the same body of water (sometimes called Lake Michigan-Huron ) but are normally considered distinct. Counted together, it is the largest body of fresh water in the world by surface area. The Mackinac Bridge is generally considered the dividing line between them. The main inflow to Lake Michigan from Lake Superior, through Lake Huron,

2730-605: The deep bottom of Lake Michigan was J. Val Klump , a scientist at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1985. Klump reached the bottom via submersible as part of a research expedition. The warming of Lake Michigan was the subject of a 2018 report by Purdue University . In each decade since 1980, steady increases in obscure surface temperature have occurred. This is likely to lead to decreasing native habitat and to adversely affect native species survival, including game fish. The Milwaukee Reef , running under Lake Michigan from

2808-407: The disastrous loss of a large number of ships during the 1860s at the site; in particular, two schooners ran aground and broke up in 1867. The massive cost of the loss helped convince Congress that it would be more cost effective to build a light and reduce the potential of future shipwrecks. The lighthouse is built upon a reef shaped like a pair of eyeglasses (hence its name) and is located in

2886-657: The early 20th century, the Lighthouse Board and the new Lighthouse Service continued to build new lights on the Great Lakes. For 1925, the Board administered around the Great Lakes: 433 major lights; ten lightships; 129 fog signals; and about 1,000 buoys. Of these 1,771 navigational aids, only 160 stations had resident keepers . By that time, most navigational aids were automated. Most of the 21st century's Great Lakes lighthouses (excepting e.g. , Poe Reef Light and Gravelly Shoal Light ) had been constructed by 1925. Building on shoals

2964-581: The following few hundred years, the region was the home of peoples known as the Late Woodland Native Americans . In the early 17th century, when Western European explorers made their first forays into the region, they encountered descendants of the Late Woodland Native Americans, mainly the historic Chippewa , Menominee , Sauk , Fox , Winnebago , Miami , Ottawa and Potawatomi peoples. The French explorer Jean Nicolet

3042-557: The fourth floor), which was built in 1927 by the same construction crew. The Poe lighthouse was originally painted all white, which sometimes confused mariners because they shared colors and a common structural design. Thus, a decision was made to paint Poe in contrasting bands. The Poe Reef station was designed so that the onsite crew could also remotely operate the Fourteen Foot Shoal Light . Subsequently, both lights have been fully automated. The Poe Reef diaphone fog horn

3120-400: The hollow portion are 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) at the bottom, tapering to 16 inches (410 mm) at the spring of the cornice ." Just below the cornice, the blocks of stone are 2 feet (0.61 m) thick. They are interlocked in each course, and fastened together with wrought iron bolts 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (64 mm) thick and 2 feet (0.61 m) long. Likewise,

3198-568: The lake during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. In the 19th century, Lake Michigan was integral to the development of Chicago and the Midwestern United States west of the lake. For example, 90% of the grain shipped from Chicago traveled by ships east over Lake Michigan during the antebellum years. The volume rarely fell below 50% after the Civil War even with the major expansion of railroad shipping . The first person to reach

Poe Reef Light - Misplaced Pages Continue

3276-546: The lakes that are too large to pass the locks and enter the ocean. Despite their vast size, large sections of the Great Lakes freeze in winter, interrupting most shipping. Some icebreakers ply the lakes. Lake Michigan is connected by the Illinois Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico via the Illinois River and the Mississippi River. Commercial tug-and-barge traffic on these waterways is heavy. Pleasure boats can enter or exit

3354-468: The largest lake entirely within one country by surface area ( Lake Baikal in Russia is larger by water volume) and the fifth-largest lake in the world. It is the larger half of Lake Michigan–Huron , which is the largest body of fresh water in the world by surface area. It is 307 miles (494 km) long by 118 miles (190 km) wide with a shoreline 1,640 miles (2,640 km) long. The lake's average depth

3432-453: The late 1960s, successful stocking programs for Pacific salmon led to the development of Lake Michigan's charter fishing industry. Like all of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan is today used as a major mode of transport for bulk goods. In 2002, 162 million net tons of dry bulk cargo were moved via the Lakes. This was, in order of volume: iron ore, grain and potash . The iron ore and much of

3510-590: The light up close, although it and its crib are closed and "off limits to the public." Another way to view the Poe Light from the water is on the eastbound lighthouse cruises offered by Shepler's Ferry Service. Narration is provided by members of the Great Lakes Lightkeepers Association, and a portion of the proceeds go to their cause. The Poe Reef Light can be seen from the air by chartered seaplane ; these amphibious machines can be hired to make

3588-422: The lighthouse, which had to be repaired at very great expense. The term "gale" is being used loosely, as there was no wind speed device being monitored in the winter at that location. But in a similar location and storm on Lake Superior at Granite Island, Michigan , wind speeds of 143 miles per hour (230 km/h) were recorded on January 18, 2003. "After the winter of 1873–74, when the keepers returned to

3666-446: The lower water levels in 2013 were a combination of the "lack of a large snowpack" in the winter of 2011/2012 coupled with very hot and dry conditions in the summer of 2012. Since then water levels rebounded, rising more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) to historical record high levels. Lake Michigan, like the other Great Lakes, supplies drinking water to millions of people in bordering areas. The Great Lakes are collectively administered by

3744-564: The mid-19th century. Several ferries currently operate on the Great Lakes to carry passengers to various islands, including Beaver Island and Bois Blanc Island (Michigan) . Currently, two car ferry services traverse Lake Michigan from around April to November: the SS Badger, a steamer from Ludington, Michigan, to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and the Lake Express , a high speed catamaran from Milwaukee to Muskegon, Michigan. The Great Lakes Circle Tour ,

3822-602: The newly completed tower, they found the ice piled against it at a height of 30 feet (9.1 m), or 7 feet (2.1 m) higher than the doorway, and they could not gain entrance until they had cut away the iceberg of which the lighthouse formed the core." The Lighthouse Board built a model of this light that was featured in the Aids to Navigation display at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition , also known as "The Chicago World's Fair " in Chicago , Illinois . The original second-order Fresnel lens (by Henry–Lepaute of Paris, France )

3900-614: The north, the lake is flanked by long bays , including Green Bay in the northwest, and Grand Traverse and Little Traverse bays in the northeast. The word michigan is believed to come from the Ojibwe ᒥᓯᑲᒥ ( michi-gami or mishigami ), meaning "great water". Some of the most well-studied early human inhabitants of the Lake Michigan region were the Hopewell Native Americans . Their culture declined after 800 AD, when, for

3978-614: The northern side is St. Ignace, Michigan , site of a French Catholic mission to the Indians (founded in 1671). In 1673, Jacques Marquette , Louis Jolliet , and their crew of five Métis voyageurs followed Lake Michigan to Green Bay and up the Fox River , nearly to its headwaters , in their search for the Mississippi River . By the late 18th century, the eastern portions of the straits were controlled by Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island ,

SECTION 50

#1732908239358

4056-417: The northwest; but neither it nor Ninemile Point, 10.3 miles (16.6 km) to the south, formed a suitable staging area for construction. This took place entirely on site. After the construction of workers' quarters on the pier, a fourth-order Fresnel lens was temporarily installed on the roof of one of the buildings. Construction was almost complete in the fall of 1873, when the onset of winter's storms forced

4134-451: The older generation of brick buildings, such as Big Sable Point Light . The Spectacle Reef Light was built during a forty-year period—between 1870 and 1910—when engineers began to build lights on isolated islands, reefs, and shoals that were significant navigational hazards. To that time, light ships such as the Huron were the only practical way to mark the hazards. They were dangerous for

4212-457: The path of littoral commerce on Lake Huron. The increase in freighter traffic through the straits increased the risk of more ship losses without better signing of hazards. The Spectacle Reef Lighthouse cost $ 406,000. One costly item was the purchase of a steamer to convey the materials to the site. The foundation was laid in a cofferdam protected by a crib made from 12-inch-thick (0.30 m) timber and submerged 11 feet (3.4 m) below

4290-409: The sailors who crewed them and difficult to maintain. "Worse, regardless of the type of anchors used, lightships could be blown off their expected location in severe storms, making them a potential liability in the worst weather when captains would depend on the charted location of these lights to measure their own ship's distance from dangerous rocks." Using underwater crib designs, the Board built

4368-575: The same plan. The Poe Reef lighthouse marks the north side of the South Channel of the Straits of Mackinac , while the Fourteen Foot Shoal Light marks the south side of the channel. Most sailing vessels had used the channel on the north side of Bois Blanc Island, but the growth of steamboat traffic increased use of the South Channel. The Poe Reef Light shares designs with a twin, Martin Reef Light (all white, however, and with different windows in

4446-524: The shoreline, the dunes rise several hundred feet above the lake surface. Large dune formations can be seen in many state parks, national forests and national parks along the Indiana and Michigan shoreline. Some of the most expansive and unique dune formations can be found at Indiana Dunes National Park , Saugatuck Dunes State Park , Warren Dunes State Park , Hoffmaster State Park , Silver Lake State Park , Ludington State Park , and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore . Small dune formations can be found on

4524-412: The states and the two provinces, and the enactment of a United States federal law. Environmental problems can still plague the lake. Steel mills and refineries operate near the Indiana shoreline. The Chicago Tribune reported that BP is a major polluter, dumping thousands of pounds of raw sludge into the lake every day from its Whiting, Indiana , oil refinery. In March 2014 BP's Whiting refinery

4602-606: The stone and coal are used in the steel industry. There is also some shipping of liquid and containerized cargo, but most container vessels cannot pass the locks on the Saint Lawrence Seaway because the ships are too wide. The total amount of shipping on the lakes has been on a downward trend for several years. The Port of Chicago , operated by the Illinois International Port District , has grain (14 million bushels) and bulk liquid (800,000 barrels) storage facilities along Lake Calumet . The central element of

4680-559: The summer season. Workers lived in a structure at the site; one of the limiting conditions. It ranks high as an engineering achievement among all the lighthouses built on the Great lakes. In 2020, The Spectacle Reef Preservation Society was formed and began to restore the lighthouse. From 1852 to the beginning of the 20th century, the United States Lighthouse Board was active in building lighthouses to support ship traffic on

4758-423: The surface. The crib was constructed upon slipways at the depot, like building a ship , then launched and towed by tugboats to the reef, where it was sunk and grounded on the site. This crib is massive: 8,464 square feet (786.3 m ) and 24 feet (7.3 m) high (203,136 cubic feet (5,752.2 m )). It created a protected pond, making a base for the cofferdam, a wharf , and worker's quarters. The cofferdam

SECTION 60

#1732908239358

4836-416: The third-largest by surface area (22,405 sq mi (58,030 km )), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron . To the east, its basin is conjoined with that of Lake Huron through the wide and deep Straits of Mackinac , giving it the same surface elevation as its easterly counterpart; geologically, the two bodies are a single lake that is, by area, the largest freshwater lake in the world. Lake Michigan

4914-434: The tower is bolted to the foundation rock with bolts 3 feet (0.91 m) long. After "the stones were in place they were plugged with pure portland cement , which is now as hard as the stone itself. Hence the tower is, in effect, a monolith ." The stones were cut at the depot at Scammon's Harbor, 16 miles (26 km) away. They were fitted, course by course, on a platform of masonry. The stones fit so well that each course

4992-502: The two cities. The Lake Express , established in 2004, carries passengers and vehicles across the lake between Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Muskegon, Michigan. Tourism and recreation are major industries on all of the Great Lakes. A few small cruise ships operate on Lake Michigan, including a couple of sailing ships. Many other water sports are practiced on the lakes, such as yachting, sea kayaking, diving, kitesurfing and lake surfing. Great Lakes passenger steamers have been operating since

5070-482: The vitality of native fish populations. Fisheries in inland waters of the United States are small compared to marine fisheries. The largest fisheries are the landings from the Great Lakes, worth about $ 14 million in 2001. Michigan's commercial fishery today consists mainly of 150 tribe-licensed commercial fishing operations through the Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority and tribes belonging to

5148-418: The water is usually clear and cool, between 55 and 80 °F (13 and 27 °C), even in the late summer months. However, because prevailing westerly winds tend to move the surface water toward the east, there is a flow of warmer water to the Michigan shore in the summer. The sand dunes located on the east shore of Lake Michigan are the largest freshwater dune system in the world. In multiple locations along

5226-693: The western shore of Lake Michigan at Illinois Beach State Park , and moderate-sized dune formations can be found in Kohler-Andrae State Park and Point Beach State Forest in Wisconsin. A large dune formation can be found in Whitefish Dunes State Park in Wisconsin in the Door Peninsula . Lake Michigan beaches in Northern Michigan are the only place in the world, aside from a few inland lakes in that region, where Petoskey stones ,

5304-625: The wildlife population. This program was so successful that the introduced population of trout and salmon exploded, resulting in the creation of a large sport fishery for these introduced species. Lake Michigan is now stocked annually with steelhead, brown trout, and coho and chinook salmon, which have also begun natural reproduction in some Lake Michigan tributaries. However, several introduced invasive species, such as lampreys, round goby , zebra mussels and quagga mussels , continue to cause major changes in water clarity and fertility, resulting in knock-on changes to Lake Michigan's ecosystem, threatening

5382-454: The work site to be abandoned until the following spring. In the spring of 1874, work on the lighthouse began again. With the installation of the cast-iron lantern room and a new second-order Fresnel lens, the work was complete, and the light was put into service in June 1874. The combination of a crib foundation with monolithic stone masonry worked so well that the Lighthouse Board used the design and

5460-402: Was "overcome by interposing a structure against which the ice is crushed and by which its motion is so impeded that it grounds on the 7–foot shoal." This creates an effective wall "against other ice fields." The tower is formed as a " frustum of a cone ". The 32-foot-diameter (9.8 m) base rises 93 feet (28 m) above water level, and is 11 feet (3.4 m) below water level. As

5538-479: Was an extension of the effort—beginning in 1870 through 1910—where engineers began to build lights on isolated islands , reefs , and shoals that were significant navigational hazards. Until that time, Light ships were the only practical way to mark the hazards, but were dangerous for the sailors who manned them, and difficult to maintain. "Worse, regardless of the type of anchors used lightships could be blown off their expected location in severe storms, making them

5616-423: Was designed and built by Colonel Orlando Metcalfe Poe and Major Godfrey Weitzel , and was the most expensive lighthouse ever built on the Great Lakes . Because of the challenges of building on a shoal, including laying an underwater crib , it is said to be the "most spectacular engineering achievement" in lighthouse construction on Lake Huron. It took four years to build because weather limited work to mostly

5694-595: Was eclipsed in January 2013. In January 2013, Lake Michigan's monthly mean water levels dipped to an all-time low of 576.2 ft (175.6 m), reaching their lowest ebb since record keeping began in 1918. The lakes were 29 in (0.74 m) below their long-term average and had declined 17 inches since January 2012. Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ' district office in Detroit , explained that biggest factors leading to

5772-411: Was laid in three days: to set, drill, and bolt. The light has been described as "the best specimen of monolithic stone masonry in the United States" and "one of the greatest engineering feats on the Great Lakes ." The light has an attached fog signal building, oil house and storage building. There are davits to raise and lower boats. In September 1872, a severe gale did considerable damage to

5850-403: Was part of a larger pattern of building 14 reef lights around Michigan, also intended to help ships navigate through and around the shoals and hazards around the Straits of Mackinac. The site was first marked by a buoy in 1868. The construction was undertaken under the auspices of the Lighthouse Board and was a feat of civil engineering and endurance. Construction began in 1870, in answer to

5928-420: Was pumped out to expose the bedrock , upon which the masonry courses were laid. The light's 20-month construction process had to be spread out over a calendar period of four years (1870–1874). No work was possible during the winter, most of the spring, and most of the fall, because of the inclement weather. Bois Blanc Island is the nearest point of land, 10 miles (16 km) to 12 miles (19 km) to

6006-710: Was removed in 1982. It is now on display at the Inland Seas Maritime Museum (also known as the Great Lakes Historical Society Museum ) at the Vermilion Light in Vermilion, Ohio . Since the Fresnel lens was replaced by a modern acrylic lens, the Spectacle Reef Light has continued to serve as an active aid to navigation as of 2007. In July 2005, "Spectacle Reef Light Station" was listed on

6084-619: Was responsible for spilling more than 1,600 US gallons (6,100 L) of oil into the lake. Lake Michigan has many beaches. The region is often referred to as the " Third Coast " of the United States, after those of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean . The sand is often soft and off-white, known as " singing sands " because of the squeaking noise (caused by high quartz content) it emits when walked upon. Some beaches have sand dunes covered in green beach grass and sand cherries , and

#357642