Michigan Lights - Marquette Harbor

Marquette Harbor Lighthouse

  Marquette was our first stop on a lighthouse tour.  The lighthouse which guides boats into the harbor now is the third since the need for a light was identified prior to 1850.  That's noteworthy because the Soo Locks didn't allow big ships on Lake Superior until 1855.

 

 The current house was under construction in 1865.

 

 My plan was to get to Marquette in time to tour the lighthouse but we didn't make it.  A chain was draped across a stairway indicating tour hours were finished, so I started walking around the light outside the fence.

 

 I was almost in front of the light when I heard a voice, "Excuse me. Please don't come up here - the lighthouse is closed."  I acknowledged the order and explained I just wanted to get some pictures for my lighthouse collection.

 

 After a moment, the young woman told me to come up the stairs (where the chain was) and take pictures.  She gave me ten minutes to walk out in front of the house (above photo) which I appreciated.  

 

Shot from across bay of Marquette Harbor light.

The lighthouse was necessary to support shipping iron which was discovered nearby.  Once the locks opened at Sault Ste. Marie, boat traffic increased steadily to meet construction and manufacturing demand.

Demand is less but iron ore (in various forms) continues to be shipped out of Marquette Harbor.   As I was walking out the Presque Isle Harbor breakwater to take pictures I heard iron hitting the cargo hold in the huge ship over the waves and wind.

 

Ten years after the lighthouse was in place, a breakwater was built to protect the east side of the bay from storms and high wind.

Marquette Breakwater 6th generation light.

 The other side of the harbor was protected by Presque Isle, so originally it didn't have a light to guide ships to the docks where iron ore was loaded into the hold.

 

 A breakwater was extended 1,200 feet into Lake Superior but a light wasn't placed at the end of it until 1941.  (photo below right)

 

 I rarely pay attention to the metal cylinder lights, while making sure to take a few shots of more interesting looking navigation aids.  I'm including both because it was dark and rainy, lighthouse weather when shooting.

 

Presque Isle Light blinks while a ship waits.

According to the LighthouseFriends.com webpage after the ore is mined, it is crushed to extract the iron which is rolled into small balls and fired in a kiln to become taconite pellets.

When delivered to a steel factory in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada at the east end of Lake Superior where the taconite ball is mixed with coke and limestone to become steel.

In 2021, we just missed seeing an ore boat loaded with taconite pellets at Two Harbors, Minnesota, so it was nice to see the trio of lights at work in Marquette.

A large ship (3/4 length of dock) being loaded with taconite pellets in Marquette, Michigan. 

All photos by David Mossner - shot 9/16 and 9/17/2022.

 

Check out the rest of my lighthouse blogs and videos by clicking.