Al's Lighthouses: The Lighthouses of Michigan

Book Info.

I hope you will find time to enjoy my books. Preview the book covers below at the right side of page.

Book #1: "The Wickie and the Umpqua Lighthouse." Detail: "The Wickie and the Umpqua Lighthouse" is an 1860's story about the lighthouse keepers and their families at the Umpqua River Lighthouse. It will stir your emotions and warm your heart. Discover the challenges they met but never expected, and their determination to maintain navigational aid to mariners on the Oregon coast. (Wickie is a nickname used by the early lighthouse keepers at the Umpqua River Lighthouse in OR.)

Book #2: "Spirit of The Lighthouse" is a sequel to The Wickie. Detail: Jesse Fayette, assistant keeper at the Umpqua River Lighthouse, finds himself alone to operate and maintain an Oregon lighthouse after the accidental death of his head keeper. After notifying the Lighthouse Board and requesting help, he is surprised but must deal with an acquaintance, Red Saunders, who believes the lighthouse is haunted.

Book #3: "Unexpected Moments" has a different theme than those of Book #1 and #2. Detail: Dan and Megan, as well as their old friends Jim and Anna, experience unexpected moments of hardships and tragedies in Arizona and California. Will they survive these unexpected moments and find any hope for their futures?

All of my books are available on Amazon.

10 March 2016

The Lighthouses of Michigan

Many people enjoy lighthouses and several have shown their curiosity about the numbers. In the United States, there are approximately 1000 lighthouses. The state of Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state in the U.S They have 125 lighthouses as shown on the map below. (Click on the map for an enlarged view to see the many locations.)

I've seen twenty-eight of Michigan's lighthouses, and I'm featuring The Sand Point Lighthouse as an example of one located in the Upper Peninsula. This lighthouse is located at Escanaba, MI and was built in 1867 by the National Lighthouse Service. It's fourth order Fresnel Lens first showed on May 13, 1868. The lighthouse served mariners continuously from 1868 until 1939, except for a short time in 1886 when it was out of commission because of a fire which severely damaged the building. The fire also cost the life of Mary Terry who was one of the first women light keepers on the Great Lakes.

In 1985 the Coast Guard discontinued use of the building and a lease was negotiated with the Delta County Historical Society. Restoration to the exterior was done to bring it back to the original appearance of the lighthouse. The interior spaces were decorated as they would have appeared more than a hundred years ago, following the 1886 fire.