Michigan Lights - Point Betsie and Robert Manning

Point Betsie Lighthouse, Frankfort, MI
9/20/2017         dwm photo

After checking out 10 Michigan lights on the first day of our trip, we left Ludington bright and early September 20 with a destination in Mackinaw City, and plenty of stops along the way.

The first stop was to see the imposing Pt. Betsie Lighthouse.  The word house undersells it.  Perched on rocks looking west to the lake, the brick edifice towers above visitors on the beach.

The Light and house is open six days a week.  Unfortunately, we stopped on a Tuesday, the one day it wasn't open.

A large concrete apron
protects the shore.
dwm photo

Built in 1858, the light filled in a critical dark spot along the Michigan shoreline between the Manitou Passage and ports to the south.

There is no Betsie.  According to the Lighthouse Friends page, the area was named by the French, Pointe Aux Bec Scies, meaning Point of Sawbill Ducks.  Through the years, Bec Scies became Betsie.

The heavy waves in the area, which required a large concrete apron and several other efforts to protect the shore from wave erosion, took a toll on land and sea.

Keeper Alonzo Slyfield served as light keeper from 1861 to 1881, but he did more than that.  In addition to warning ships, he sometimes save them.  In his journal he wrote about a grounded ship and his efforts to rescue the crew.

In 1876, a lifesaving station was built.  It operated until 1996, ready to respond to trouble.

Pt. Betsie renovated in 2006 to its original colors.
dwm

The light continues to serve as an active aid to navigation.

The Friends of Point Betsie have worked on the house since the Coast Guard gave it to Benzie County in 2004.

Their website details the local history and offers a unique lodging opportunity for guests interested in spending a week in the lighthouse.

The good news for our visit was although we couldn't get on the grounds, we could walk out on the beach and in front of the grand old light.

Manning Light
Empire, MI
9/20/2017 dwm

North of Point Betsie near the small community of Empire in the majestic waves of sand comprising Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is another light, the Robert H. Manning.

If you are traveling Michigan to see the lights, I wouldn't make a special trip to this one.  It is a memorial for a local man who often wished there was a light to guide him home from his time fishing on the lake.  It was dedicated in 1991.

It counts as a light, making the Coast Guard's list, but compared to historic homes like Pointe Betsie it doesn't fit.  If you're in the area, and you are like me and need to "collect" all the lights, it won't take long.