1876 Kalamazoo River Lt, Saugatuck-Douglas, Lk. Mi.

1834 Kalamazoo River Lighthouse was established on the the Kalamazoo River which flowed into Lake Michigan. This was the Saugatuck lighthouse. This first light was replace when the river bank eroded and a new two story light was erected atop of a dune a great distance from the river in 1859. It was a buff color with white trim. (This structure stood until it was ravaged by a tornado in April 1956 and only it’s 1859 date sign and a few beams were salvageable.)
In 1876, the light was transferred to a new frame structure at the end of the south pier. In 1878 the sand hill it sat on was covered with logs and rocks to keep the sand from drifting. At this time the light had a 5th order Fresnel Lens. The date of this painting is from a black and white photo dating about 1883. This light was discontinued in October 1914.
A tiny red and white replica of the 1859 Kalamazoo River light can be seen in Douglas, Mi.
For more information go to www.lighthousefriends.com and for prints and cards go to www.michiganlighthouseart.com/gallery