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JAN + FEB, 1983 Page 3 THE COASTAL LIGHTHOUSES OF LAKE MICHIGAN ROGER LOSEY The beaches of the west coast of Michigan are white and sandy and seem to go on forever. They are flat at the shore and slowly rise back to the dunes. The huge sand hills are unique to this coast and are best typified by the Sleeping Bear and Silver Dunes. The sentinels of this coast, guardians of the mariner are the lighthouses and on the Lake Michigan coast, they are numerous and varied. They are generally located at harbor entrances or on lonely stretches of beach at points strategic to navigation. All of them are now unmanned and many of the original structures (keeper's homes, lifeboat houses) have been destroyed by the elements or simply torn apart by man. Each of the lights has had a unique and necessary part to play in the commercial history of Michigan and their fascinating stories would fill volumes. Due to space limitations, research materials and records available to the author, this article will only deal with shoreline lights on Lake Michigan and we will attempt to record island lights in a later article. If the reader is interested in seeing these lights, a copy of the Long Blue Edge of Summer by Doris Scharfenberg and a good map of Michigan are the necessary tools. Another good source and a necessity in some cases is to ask the natives in the area lots of ques- tions. Most of the lights in this area are acces- sible by car and others are private residences or located in positions remote to roads so that a good hike in the Lake Michigan sand is necessary to reach the light. Boaters will be able to locate most of the lights as they travel the shore but there are several of the older, discontinued lights that are often obscured by the growth of trees and brush between the shore and light. A brief history of the lights along this coast is in order. As the population moved westward in the 1820's and 1830's, increased navigation brought about the need for in- creased aids to the seafarer. Lighthouse building on Lake Michigan's east coast be- gan in 1839 and the last light was built in 1936. The first light was built at Grand Haven by the office of the fifth auditor of tke Treasury Department. Because of problems caused by bureaucratic scandals, this post was replaced by Congress in 1852. This overhauling of the system resulted in the creation of the U.S. Lighthouse Board which was _ responsible for the construction of most of the lights in our area. In 1910, the efficiency of operation was increased by the creation of the Bureau of Lighthouses in the Commerce Department. This bureau created what came to be called: "a system first ranked in all the world'. On July 7, 1939, lighthouse control passed into the hands of the U.S. Coast Guard which offered the civilian keepers the opportunity of becoming members of the U.S.C.G. or remaining civilians. The personel split and in 1969 there were still seven civilian keepers. They have since retired and all the lights are now under the auspices of the U.S.C.G.