Michigan Lights - Wawatam

Wawatam Lighthouse, St. Ignace, Michigan
9/21/2017   dwm photo

The Wawatam Lighthouse wasn't on either list of lights I used for our trip to Michigan.

But there it was at the end of point a football field and a half from where we ate lunch in St. Ignace.

I didn't know its story, but with thought it was better to be safe than sorry; I took some photos.

The light is a late arrival on the shores of Lake Huron off the Straits of Mackinac.  It was built as attraction at a Michigan Welcome Center in 1998.

When the center was renovated in 2004, it was put up for sale and St. Ignace had the winning bid.

It got a new coat of paint and was installed in 2006 on the former dock of the SS Chief Wawatam.  The Wawatam was a railroad ferry that crossed the Straits of Mackinac from 1911 until 1984.

The light tower is 52 feet tall, 62 feet above the water line.
9/21/2017  dwm photo

Wawatam is the name of an 18th century Odawa chief who is credited with saving the life of a British fur trader at least twice.

Despite the light's start as a tourist prop, the Wawatam light became an aid to navigation when it was installed.

It helps boats looking for the port of St. Ignace and provides winter help for snowmobilers when they make the long trip across a frozen Lake Huron.

Even though it didn't make the list, if you near the Mackinac Bridge check it out.  It's only a few miles away.