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| Eagle River Lighthouse. 9/17/2022 dwm |
Our last lighthouse visit was a few miles south of Eagle Harbor in the community of Eagle River.
It was thriving port for a short time in the mid-19th century. Michigan's state geologist, Douglas Houghton, discovered a rich vein of mineral deposits in the Keweenaw Peninsula during 1840.
According to the account in LighthouseFriends.com, by 1845, the Pittsburgh and Boston Mining Company opened a mine near Eagle River that became the "first great copper mine in the western hemisphere."
The town didn't have a natural harbor, so businesses built docks and warehouses along the river where the ships could load their copper cargo.
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| The lighthouse is now a vacation rental. |
The original lighthouse in Eagle River was built in 1855 but was on its last legs by 1868. Congress approved spending $14,000 on a new building in 1869, work didn't begin until 1871.
The mine however, was so deep by this time it was too expensive to work so the mining town dried up. The mine operated into the 20th century but never reached its previous heights and the Lighthouse Board was urged to shutter this light and move a signal to Sand Hills.
The Eagle River Lighthouse was sold to a local family in 1908. It stayed in the family until 1996. In 2014 a new owner took over and restored it.
The map I used indicated indicated the lighthouse grounds were closed. I don't know why I didn't cross the bridge to get closer shots. It still looks the part although a new building stands between it and Lake Superior now, so it's purely decorative. (Scroll down for the Sand Hills Lighthouse.)
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| The light was extinguished in Eagle River in 1908. |
Congress approved building a lighthouse in Sand Hills in 1893 but never provided the money. A long-stretch of the west side of the Keweenaw stayed dark until 1919 when Sand Hills went on line.
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| An obscured view of Sand Hills |
(I've posted the lighthouse posts in geographic order starting in the southeast corner of the Keweenaw Peninsula and working counter-clockwise. Sunday morning we visited the Portage River and Lower Entrance Keweenaw Waterway, drove across the peninsula to Sand Hills, then south to the Upper Entrance Keweenaw Lighthouse, ending with two lights in Ontonagon.)
There wasn't, so we turned around and I parked in a driveway with a locked gate and a sign saying it was closed.
When plans were drawn for the Sand Hills Lighthouse, the idea was to create a strong signal to warn ships of the rocks. It called for a 70-foot tower and space to give a keeper and two assistants a home.
Sand Hills lists Ahmeek, Michigan as its home address but it stands several miles north on Five Mile Point Road. The road didn't have a signpost but we eventually found our way on the beautiful and winding road through forests close to Lake Superior.
Sand Hills wasn't easy to find. I caught a glimpse through my window, then drove a little further thinking I'd find a sign and entrance.
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| The Sand Hills lantern. 9/18/22 dwm |
I wasn't going through a locked gate and the leaf-laden trees blocked the view. There were just a couple spots where I could see the tower and check this off as an official visit.
When the Eagle River light shut down, the area known as the Sawtooth Reef became dangerous to ships again.
In 1910 the W.C. Moreland ran aground, even after salvage operations the ship's owners lost a half-million dollars.
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| All photos dwm 9/18/22 |
The Sand Hills Light began operation June 19, 1919. The brother of the last operator of the Eagle River lighthouse was the first to run Sand Hills. It turned out he was also the last because he was on duty when the house was automated in 1939. The light was discontinued in 1954, and became a private home four years later.
The Sand Hills Lighthouse Inn's website says it is closed for renovations. The Lighthouse Friends.com page indicates it was bought in 2019 and undergoing multiple years of repairs. When it re-opens, it will be worth another visit.
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