52 Weeks of Fun

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Crisp Point Light

Crisp Point was one of five U.S. Life Saving Service Stations along the coast of Lake Superior between Munising and Whitefish Point in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Located 14 miles west of Whitefish Point it became Life Saving Station Number Ten in 1876. Surfmen were stationed there to aid mariners and ships in distress. The station, along with the rest of the United States Life-Saving Service, was integrated into the United States Coast Guard in 1915, followed by the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1939. Up until that point, the Crisp Point Life Saving Station and the Crisp Point Lighthouse were run by two separate entities.

It took six years for the lighthouse to be approved, and construction finally began 1903. The 58-foot high tower held a Fourth Order red Fresnel Lens that rotated 360 degrees. The light was first lit in May 1904.

The Crisp Point Lighthouse and Lifesaving Station were decommissioned by the Coast Guard in 1993, and over the next four years suffered massive damage due to erosion. The original white frame boathouse, barn, brick oil house, and two outbuildings, everything except for the tower and one wall of the entrance room, had been demolished. In the winter of 1997, the additional loss was prevented by the installation of one thousand cubic yards of stone in front of the tower. Stone has been added several times since, and there are future plans to protect this lighthouse.

The Crisp Point Light is now a center for renovation and renewal. Under the direction of the Crisp Point Light Historical Society, along with other organizations, there are recurring events at the site. Once a lighthouse on the "Doomsday List", the Crisp Point Lighthouse has been returned to pristine condition. The service building that was destroyed in 1996 has been rebuilt and a visitor center added next to the parking lot, where a Fourth Order Fresnel Lens is on-loan to the society for display.



A 52 Weeks of Fun Fascinating Fact about Crisp Point Light

Crisp Point is named from one of the Life Saving Station’s keepers, Christopher Crisp, who is said to have been "an iron-willed boatman."

Upcoming Events




Tahquamenon Falls is dramatic, regardless of the season visited.

The light at Whitefish Point is a close drive from Crisp Point Lighthouse.

The Point Iroquois Lighthouse is located near Paradise.

The green of the forests and blue water of its lakes draws summer visitors to the Paradise area.

Coming Soon: To do, see, stay, etc