Mission Point Light

Mission Point Light
	Mission Point Light in October 2020
Location	Peninsula Township, Michigan
Coordinates	44°59′28.7″N 85°28′46.1″W / 44.991306°N 85.479472°W[citation needed]
Tower
Constructed	1870
Construction	Wood
Height	36 feet (11 m)
Shape	Square tower on dwelling
Markings	White with black trim
Light
First lit	1870
Deactivated	1933
Focal height	47 feet (14 m)
Lens	Fifth order Fresnel lens
Range	8.7 nautical miles; 16 kilometres (10 mi)[citation needed]
Characteristic	Flashing W 6 seconds.
Michigan State Historic Site
Designated	October 15, 1992

Mission Point Light is a lighthouse located in Michigan at the end of Old Mission Point, a peninsula jutting into Grand Traverse Bay 17 miles (27 km) north of Traverse City. It was built in 1870 as an exact copy of the Mama Juda Light^[2] (now destroyed), which was built on the Detroit River in 1866.^[3]

The foundation is natural and emplaced. The wooden structure is painted white with black trim. The square tower is attached to a dwelling.^[4]

A fixed white Fifth Order Fresnel lens was installed. The building was only one and a half stories tall. However, its placement on a sand bank 14 feet above the lake's surface created a lens focal plane of 47 feet (14 m). It was visible from 13 miles (21 km) at sea. It has been an ongoing struggle to maintain the dune and protect it and the lighthouse from erosion.^[5]

The light served to warn mariners about the shoals off the point for 63 years. It was a working lighthouse from 1870 to 1933, when it was decommissioned. However, new techniques in offshore construction and the automation of lighthouse illumination made it possible to build a navigation aid on the shoal itself. In 1938, work was completed for the new stationary buoy light in 19 feet (5.8 m) of water, about 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Mission Point. The light runs on batteries. It is on a 36-foot (11 m) tall tower, and its focal plane of 52 feet (16 m) makes it visible for 13 miles (21 km). It has a 30-second dwell time between flashes, in order to conserve power.^[5] It is still maintained by the Coast Guard today and only shines North.

Famously, the lighthouse stands a few hundred yards south of the 45th parallel north, halfway between the North Pole and the Equator. It was deactivated in 1933 and purchased by the State of Michigan.^[6] There are a pair of signs that denote its location on the parallel,^[7] one of 29 places in the U.S. with such signs.^[8]

Current status and activities

The lighthouse is located in Old Mission State Park, which is managed by Peninsula Township as Lighthouse Park at the northern end of Highway M-37.^[9] Visitors to the park enjoy the beach, hiking trails, and picnic areas. The park welcomes about 100,000 visitors annually from every state and dozens of foreign countries.

The lighthouse society sought volunteers to work and live in the Mission Point Light during 2008. There is a fee, which benefits the light.^[10]

In 2008, the building opened for the first time to the public with a small museum after serving for many years as the park manager's residence.^[6] Today, the lighthouse has a very popular and unique keeper program. The weekly keepers run the gift shop from May through October and get to stay in the updated lighthouse keeper's quarters.

The area around the lighthouse attracts many cross country skiers. The location is becoming increasingly popular, which has subjected it to environmental issues that are being addressed by Peninsula Township.^[11]

The Old Mission Peninsula is said to be a premier place to sea kayak.^[11] Maps, rentals, and guided tours are available.^[12]

Mission Point is visited by about 100,000 people annually.

Gallery

Vintage image of the lighthouse
The lighthouse from the beach in August 2023
Sign adjacent to the lighthouse
Rear of the lighthouse in July 2006
The lighthouse in winter of 2009
The lighthouse from the water in July 2010

References

^ Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
^ "Lighthouse depot, Mama Juda Light". Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
^ "Biggs, Jerry, Mission to Mama, Lighthouse Digest, 10/2000". Archived from the original on July 10, 2003. Retrieved February 28, 2004.
^ "NPS Inventory of Historic Light Stations". Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2004.
^ ^a ^b Terry Pepper, Mission Point lighthouse at Seeing the Light.
^ ^a ^b Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Western Lower Peninsula". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
^ Photographs, Old Mission 45th Parallel signs.
^ List and map of 45th Parallel markers, with links to pictures (accessed 2007-12-17).
^ M-37 Endpoint Photos. Archived 2013-05-29 at the Wayback Machine
^ Lighthouse directory, Mission Point volunteer story.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ ^a ^b "Peninsula Township Parks". Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
^ Sea kayaking Archived 2012-07-29 at the Wayback Machine

Bibliography

Bibliography on Michigan lighthouses.
Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein, The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses (2002) ISBN 1-59223-102-0; ISBN 978-1-59223-102-7.
Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan. The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-8143-2554-8 ISBN 978-0-8143-2554-4.
Jones, Ray & Bruce Roberts, American Lighthouses (Globe Pequot, September 1, 1998, 1st Ed.) ISBN 0-7627-0324-5; ISBN 978-0-7627-0324-1.
Jones, Ray,The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference (Globe Pequot, January 1, 2004, 1st ed.) ISBN 0-7627-2735-7; ISBN 978-0-7627-2735-3.
Noble, Dennis, Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy (Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997). ISBN 1-55750-638-8; ISBN 978-1-55750-638-2.
Oleszewski, Wes, Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
Penrod, John, Lighthouses of Michigan, (Berrien Center, Michigan: Penrod/Hiawatha, 1998) ISBN 978-0-942618-78-5 ISBN 978-1-893624-23-8.
Penrose, Laurie and Bill, A Traveler's Guide to 116 Michigan Lighthouses (Petoskey, Michigan: Friede Publications, 1999). ISBN 0-923756-03-5 ISBN 978-0-923756-03-1
Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes".
Putnam, George R., Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation, (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
Price, Scott T. "U. S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation: A Historical Bibliography". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
Wagner, John L. "Beacons Shining in the Night: The Lighthouses of Michigan". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University.
Wagner, John L., Michigan Lighthouses: An Aerial Photographic Perspective, (East Lansing, Michigan: John L. Wagner, 1998) ISBN 1-880311-01-1 ISBN 978-1-880311-01-1.
Wargin, Ed, Legends of Light: A Michigan Lighthouse Portfolio (Ann Arbor Media Group, 2006). ISBN 978-1-58726-251-7.
Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3.

External links

[1] Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.

[2] "Lighthouse depot, Mama Juda Light". Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2008.

[3] "Biggs, Jerry, Mission to Mama, Lighthouse Digest, 10/2000". Archived from the original on July 10, 2003. Retrieved February 28, 2004.

[4] "NPS Inventory of Historic Light Stations". Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2004.

[terrypepper.com-5] Terry Pepper, Mission Point lighthouse at Seeing the Light.

[unc.edu-6] Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Western Lower Peninsula". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

[7] Photographs, Old Mission 45th Parallel signs.

[8] List and map of 45th Parallel markers, with links to pictures (accessed 2007-12-17).

[9] M-37 Endpoint Photos. Archived 2013-05-29 at the Wayback Machine

[10] Lighthouse directory, Mission Point volunteer story.^{[permanent dead link]}

[Penninsula-11] "Peninsula Township Parks". Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved May 4, 2008.

[12] Sea kayaking Archived 2012-07-29 at the Wayback Machine

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v t e Lighthouses in Michigan
Main: List of lighthouses in the United States
Northern Upper Peninsula	Au Sable Big Bay Point Copper Harbor Copper Harbor Front Range Crisp Point Eagle Harbor Eagle Harbor Range Lights Eagle River Fourteen Mile Point Grand Island East Channel Grand Island Harbor Rear Range Grand Island North Grand Marais Range Lights Granite Island Gull Rock Huron Island Isle Royale Manitou Island Marquette Breakwater Outer Marquette Harbor Mendota (Bete Grise) Munising Front Range Munising Rear Range Ontonagon Ontonagon Harbor West Breakwater Portage River (Jacobsville) Passage Island Presque Isle Harbor Breakwater Light Rock Harbor Rock of Ages Sand Hills Sand Point Light (Baraga) St. Martin Island Stannard Rock Thunder Bay Island Whitefish Point
Southern Upper Peninsula	DeTour Reef Lansing Shoals Manistique East Breakwater Martin Reef Menominee Pier Minneapolis Shoal Naubinway Island Peninsula Point Poverty Island Sand Point Seul Choix Squaw Island St. Martin Island
St. Mary's River	Frying Pan Island Pipe Island Point Iroquois Round Island Light (St. Mary's River) Six Mile Point Range Rear Winter Point Range Front
Portage River/Ship Canal	Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Keweenaw Waterway Upper Entrance Portage Lake Rouleau Point Range Front and Rear Lights
Straits of Mackinac	Bois Blanc McGulpin Point Old Mackinac Point Round Island Round Island Passage St. Helena Island Wawatam
Western Lower Peninsula	Beaver Island Harbor Beaver Island Head Big Sable Point Cedar River Charlevoix Charlevoix South Pier Frankfort Frankfort South Range Grand Haven North Pierhead Grand Haven South Pierhead Entrance Grand Haven South Pierhead Inner Grand Traverse Grays Reef Holland Harbor Ile Aux Galets Little Sable Point Little Traverse Ludington Manistee Pierhead Manning Memorial Mission Point Mission Point (1933) Muskegon Breakwater Muskegon Pier North Manitou Shoal Pentwater North Pierhead Pentwater South Pierhead Point Betsie Portage Lake South Fox Island South Haven South Manitou Island St. Joseph North Pier Inner St. Joseph North Pier Outer Waugoshance White River White Shoal
Eastern Lower Peninsula	Alpena Caseville Harbor Charity Island Cheboygan Crib Cheboygan River Front Range Detroit River Fort Gratiot Forty Mile Point Fourteen Foot Shoal Gibraltar Gravelly Shoal Harbor Beach Lake St. Clair Mariners Memorial Middle Island Miller Memorial New Presque Isle Old Presque Isle Peche Island Rear Range Poe Reef Pointe aux Barques Port Austin Port Sanilac Saginaw Bay Saginaw River Rear Range Spectacle Reef St. Clair Flats Front and Rear Range Light Sturgeon Point Tawas Point Thunder Bay Island Tri-Centennial Light of Detroit William Livingstone Memorial Windmill Point
Historical (lost) lights	Au Sable North Pierhead Belle Isle Clinton River Ecorse Ecorse Range Rear Gibraltar Grassy Island Grassy Island North Channel Range Lights Grassy Island South Channel Range Lights Grosse Ile North Channel Range Lights Grosse Ile South Channel Range Lights Harwood Point East Range Front Kalamazoo River Mama Juda Mama Juda Range Front Manistee Main Middle Lake George Monroe Pier New Buffalo North Manitou Island Saginaw Bay Sand Beach North Entrance East Squaw Point St. Mary's River Lower Range Front Vidal Shoals Channel Range Front and Rear Lights Windmill Point Range Front and Rear Lights
Related	Lightship Huron List of lifesaving stations in Michigan Wixom Lake, Musselman Island lighthouse

Current status and activities

Gallery

See also

References

Bibliography

External links