On March 3, 1873, Congress appropriated $20,000 for a lighthouse on Isle Royale, but construction of the lighthouse was delayed until the opening of navigation in 1875 due to debates on where exactly the light should be located. Menagerie Island, the most easterly of a string of small, rocky island that help form Siskiwit Bay, was finally selected as the site for the lighthouse, and native red sandstone was used to construct an impressive octagonal tower, linked to a two-story keeper’s dwelling by an eight-and-a-half-foot-long covered passageway.

The sixty-one-foot-tall tower was built with double walls and contains a cast-iron spiral stairway that winds up to its lantern room, where a fourth-order Henry-Lepaute Fresnel lens beamed forth a fixed white light at a focal plane of seventy-five feet. The light was placed in operation on September 20, 1875, and William Stevens served as its first keeper, with the assistance of his wife. To create a more distinctive daymark, the sandstone tower was whitewashed.

All Content and reference information the property of Lighthouse Friends.com. Photography the property of Michigan Tech Archives.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Great Lakes Drive, affiliates, and site resources are not responsible for any incidents attributed to the use of this information. All information provided on this site should be considered a simple bit of information that informs the average individual on activities or available lodging that others have participated in, and in many cases warns them of dangerous aspects of a location, and should not be considered a promotion for taking part in the activity or a recommendation to use, stay, or support. Some of these pages represent extremely dangerous activities and should not be considered by individuals and families as normal activities. Many of the links provide information contributed by professionals or adrenaline junkies and are meant only as interesting points. Other information would probably never be heard about and represents wonderful historic facts and fiction about places that have disappeared. All activities from driving a car to entering the water can be hazardous and should be taken on at your own risk. Take responsibility for your actions and be very careful when exploring this wonderful fast land that is available to us all. Ads on the site may be from awesome companies but for legal reasons they do not necessarily represent the beliefs or receive the support of GreatLakesDrive.com. By reading the information on a page, and/or clicking on any of the links, you agree to take full responsibility in the result. Drive Safely! Stay on the path if you are concerned about the results of stepping off the edge. Discover a wonderful place right in your own backyard! You will never forget it.