Steinway Street: Seul Choix Lighthouse

While we were in the Upper Peninsula, we visited a few lighthouses... including Seul Choix.

Once, when French fur traders were travelling in canoes across the rough waters of Lake Michigan, they were caught in a storm which forced them to seek shelter. They landed on the a harbor and found refuge in the bay while waiting out the storm. Before leaving, they named the harbor Seul Choix, which means "Only Choice."

The Great Lakes were dangerous to travel, especially since there was no light for a 100 miles between the Straits of Mackinac and the Garden Peninsula. In August 1886, Congress voted to build a lighthouse and fog signal building on Seul Choix Point. The entire complex was completed in 1895.

Since the light had to be lit manually, a light keeper was needed to constantly check the light. The compound consisted of a family quarter, a steam fog signal and boiler house, stable, boathouse, two docks, two oil houses, brick outhouse, paint shed and a tramway, which was used to transport supplies from the boats up the slope to the light.

In 1996 the keeper's quarters were converted to a museum by the Gulliver Historical Society, who operate tours and maintain the structures.

The rooms of the keeper's quarters have been decorated as they would have appeared in the 1900-1930 period.

The rooms also include antiques, mementos, and artifacts from the ancestors of local residents.

There was a lot to look at...

Even if the mannequins scared me a bit!

Of course my main reason for visiting the light was the tower.

And just over 90 steps later...

We had made it to the top!

The ten-sided cast iron lantern room once held a Third Order Fresnel lens, made by LaPaute of Paris.

The light that replaced the lens 1972 and rotates... during the day no less! The tower currently houses a fully automated airport beacon lens which allows the light to be seen 17 miles into Lake Michigan. As you can imagine the lantern room was pretty small with such a large light spinning around- I was nervous that I would accidentally trip and fall into it!