Our Memorable Journeys

Day 3 - 9/2/2019 - Lake Huron Sunrise Coast

Today we traveled the Huron Shores Heritage Route up the east coast of Michigan, called the Sunrise Coast. Beaches of Michigan are home to 120 lighthouses that once served navigational aids to ships; 30 of them standing along the Lake Huron beaches.

Lake Huron was originally called La Mer Douce, the sweet or freshwater sea by French explorers. Later Lake Huron took its name from the Huron Indian people who lived along its beaches. Lake Huron is the second largest Great Lake and the fifth largest fresh water lake on the planet, with a surface area of 23,000 square miles. First paddled by Native Americans, and then voyageurs, traders and missionaries in the late 1600s with the start of the fur trade, Lake Huron became a vital shipping route. The waters of this Great Lake could be treacherous and its storms deadly; the particularly disastrous weather of November 9, 1913 sank ten ships to the bottom of Lake Huron and drove many others into port. Also known as “Shipwreck Alley”, Lake Huron has a record of more than 1,000 shipwrecks.

It might not be the largest Great Lake but Lake Huron gets the award for the longest shoreline. This is partly because of the 30,000 islands that border the east side of Michigan. In total, Lake Huron has 3,827 miles of shoreline.

Our first major stop today was at Tawas Point Lighthouse in Tawas Point State Park. Tawas Point Is referred to as the “Cape Cod of the Midwest”. The lighthouse, built in 1876, stands 70 feet above Lake Huron and is the only true Victorian-era light station on the Great Lakes.

Our next stop was at Sturgeon Point Lighthouse. Until the early 20th Century, northern Michigan was almost completely dependent on waterborne commerce for all of its needs. Thousands of sailing vessels and early steamers plied the Great Lakes at a time when there were almost no aids to navigation to guide them along the dangerous coastline and its treacherous rocks, shoals and reefs. One such reef extends 1-12 miles out into Lake Huron at Sturgeon Point. In 1869, the Lighthouse Service began construction of the lighthouse to mark this hazard. It became operational in the Spring of 1870 and has been in continuous service since then.

Continuing north along Lake Huron we crossed the 45th Parallel (halfway between the Equator and North Pole) a few miles south of Alpena, MI, where we are spending the night. We stopped at Thunder Bay Shores Marina and walked on the Great Lakes Heritage Trail to see the Alpena Light . While the Alpena Light may not be a typical lighthouse, it does meet the criteria to be called one. Located at the mouth of the Thunder Bay River, the 80 ft. skeletal tower is called “Sputnik” (resembles the Russian space satellite) and “Little Red” by locals. It is believed to be the only lighthouse of this type in the U.S.

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