Round Island Light, Lake Huron, Mi

The light is endangered again due to the high water in the Great Lakes. Go to www.roundislqndlightmichigan.com to see how you can help!

Anyone that has taken the ferry to Mackinaw Island has passed by the Round Island Light and have never been aware that there are dangerous reefs on both sides of the north channel between Mackinaw and Round Islands. The red brick lighthouse, now painted red and white with black trim sat atop a pier a 12’ square tower which is part of the northeast corner of a 2 1/2 story dwelling. The 4th order Fresnel lens was first lit May 15, 1896.
Lighthouse keepers lived over a coal fired fog steam whistle in the first floor that could blast 5 seconds of every minute for hours/days. The light served for many years and was decommissioned when Round Island Passage light sat the mouth of the Mackinaw Island Harbor was built. It was signed over to the Hiawatha National Forest in 1955.
A storm in October 1972 tore away the lower portion of the southeast corner of the light exposing the interior to the weather. in 1975 various groups began to save the light. Over the years, many groups including the Boy Scouts and Great Lakes Lighthouse Keeper’s Assc. have volunteered and restored the light. Thanks to all of these efforts, in 1996, the light shines again as a private navigational aid. The Round Island Preservation Society now permits the light to be open one day a year in July.
Prints and cards www.michiganlighthouseart.com/ gallery