Location | Bete Grise, Delaware, Michigan |
---|---|
Coordinates | 47°22′27″N87°58′00″W / 47.37417°N 87.96667°W [1] |
Tower | |
Constructed | 1895 |
Construction | Brick |
Height | 42 feet (13 m) |
Shape | Square, attached T-shaped bldg. w/steep gable roof. [2] |
Markings | Yellow with black lantern |
Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
Light | |
First lit | 1895, 1998 |
Deactivated | 1956 |
Focal height | 44 feet (13 m) |
Lens | 4th Order Fresnel Lens |
Range | 14 nmi (26 km; 16 mi) |
Characteristic | Flash W 20 secs. [3] |
Bete Gris Lighthouse | |
Location | Mendota, Michigan |
MPS | Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites in Michigan TR |
NRHP reference No. | 80004840 [4] |
Added to NRHP | August 29, 1980 |
The Mendota Light, also known as the Bete Grise light, was built on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan to facilitate travel between Lake Superior and Lac La Belle (an artificial canal having been made to connect the two).
The original plans were laid in 1867 and the lighthouse was constructed in 1869. Only one year later, the light was decommissioned as it was found by navigators to be of no assistance (nor was there any other commercial reason to make this trip).
The tower was removed and taken to Marquette, but the keeper's house remained in place. In 1892, ships tried to use this bay for a safe harbor during a storm, and the seafarers, observing the house (at this point deserted), suggested that the harbor would be easier to find if there was a light present. By 1895, funds had been allocated to re-establish the light, but it was determined that the existing structure had deteriorated so much that it could not be used. A new structure was built using the original foundations.
In 1933 the light was automated and in 1956 it was decommissioned.
It was a private residence until 1996. The lighthouse, only accessible by boat since no roads or private drives lead to it, was for sale in 1996. [5] It was sold to a person willing to conserve the light. The original fourth order Fresnel lens was found, restored and in 1998 relit. [6] It is still in place and in use. Efforts are being made to maintain the light for the "next 100 years".
The light is now classified as an active private aid to navigation. [3]
To view the light, travel to the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan to the town of Bete Grise. The road ends at the Mendota Ship Canal. Take the short walk to the Ship Canal. You will see the station boathouse across the Canal, and the Mendota Light itself a little to the east.
National Register Status: PART OF LISTING; Reference #80004840 Name of Listing: HISTORIC ENGINEERING & INDUSTRIAL SITES IN MICHIGAN TR. [7]
Keweenaw County is a county in the western Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 2,046, making it Michigan's least populous county. It is also the state's largest county by total area, including the waters of Lake Superior, as well as the state's northernmost county. The county seat is Eagle River.
Grant Township is a civil township of Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 275 at the 2020 census. Grant Township is one of the most isolated municipalities in Michigan, as it forms the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, which projects into Lake Superior.
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The following is a list of Registered Historic Places in Keweenaw County, Michigan.
This National Park Service list is complete through NPS recent listings posted August 11, 2023.
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Eagle Harbor Light is an operational lighthouse at Eagle Harbor, in Keweenaw County in the state of Michigan. It sits on the rocky entrance to Eagle Harbor and is one of several light stations that guide mariners on Lake Superior across the northern edge of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The original lighthouse, built in 1851, was replaced in 1871 by the present red brick structure, which is a Michigan State Historic Site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bete Grise is a nature preserve on Keweenaw Peninsula, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, beach and bay on Lake Superior, where the sand is said to "sing" in situ. It is located in Grant Township south of the community of Bete Grise.
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Sand Hills was an active lighthouse on the shore of Lake Superior is on private property and is currently closed to the public. It is located in Ahmeek in Keweenaw County in the Keweenaw Peninsula, which is the northern part of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The Copper Harbor Light is a lighthouse located in the harbor of Copper Harbor, Michigan USA on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan inside Fort Wilkins Historic State Park. It is a Michigan State Historic Site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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The Isle Royale Light, or Menagerie Island Light, is a lighthouse within Isle Royale National Park, in Keweenaw County, northern Michigan, United States.
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The Grand Island East Channel Light is a lighthouse located just north of Munising, Michigan and was intended to lead boats from Lake Superior through the channel east of Grand Island into the Munising Harbor. Constructed of wood, the light first opened for service in 1868. The light was very hard to see from Lake Superior, and light maintenance was very difficult so the Munising Range Lights were constructed and this light was removed from service in 1908 or 1913.
The Gull Rock Light Station is an active lighthouse located on Gull Rock, just west of Manitou Island, off the tip of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula in Lake Superior. The light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, even as its condition deteriorated, resulting in its placement on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List.
Huron Island Light is a lighthouse on Lake Superior near Big Bay, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Huron Islands Lighthouse in 1975. It is on one of the Huron Islands WildernessArchived 2011-06-11 at the Wayback Machine.
The Keweenaw Waterway Upper Entrance Light is a lighthouse located at the north end of the Portage River in McLain State Park in Hancock Township, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
Bete Grise is an unincorporated community in Grant Township, Keweenaw County, Michigan. The community lies on the shore of Lake Superior. The community is located on the north side of Bete Grise Bay. The Mendota Canal cuts the bay in half, which allows travel from Lac La Belle to Lake Superior. There is a white sand beach nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) long on either side of the canal. Most of the beach is public land, with the Bete Grise Nature Preserve occupying the land south of the canal.