This Could be the Furthermost Lighthouse in Michigan

What is the furthermost lighthouse in Michigan?

That question could raise a few different answers. But the one that makes the most sense is the Menominee North Pier Lighthouse right at the Wisconsin Border. How?

If you were to travel specifically through Michigan to get there, the furthest starting point would be at the ‘Welcome to Pure Michigan’ sign at the Michigan/Ohio border north of Toledo. Traveling upward through Michigan, across the Mackinac Bridge all the way west through the Upper Peninsula, heading south to the Escanaba River State Forest, then continuing on to Menominee. The lighthouse is next to the Wisconsin border, and the journey is approximately 550 miles.

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If you were to head west through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and north through Wisconsin you’d save a little time by traveling a mere 525 miles.

The lighthouse was built in 1877 as a two-story station called the Menominee Pierhead Lighthouse. It was painted white, and featured a ruby-glass lantern that could be seen over the water for 12 miles. Throughout the 1880s, the lighthouse kept getting moved further and further out into the water. In 1917 it was painted the shade of red it remains today.

In 1927 the original wooden walkway leading up to the lighthouse was replaced with a new concrete pier.

In 1972, the position of lighthouse keeper was no longer needed and the lighthouse has been automated ever since.