Grand Marais, Michigan
| Grand Marais | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated Community | |
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| Motto: Eastern Gateway to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshores | |
 Grand Marais
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| Coordinates: 46°40′15″N 85°59′07″W / 46.67083°N 85.98528°WCoordinates: 46°40′15″N 85°59′07″W / 46.67083°N 85.98528°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Alger |
| Township | Burt Township |
| Elevation | 627 ft (191 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 350 |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Website | http://www.grandmaraismichigan.com/ |
Grand Marais is an unincorporated community in Burt Township, Alger County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located on Lake Superior, and is the eastern gateway to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore via H-58.
The name Grand Marais (French: great marsh) is a reference to the large, shallow harbor, which now has a breakwater extending from the bay into the lake. The Grand Marais Outer Range Light is at its end, and the Fresnel lens is still operative, being one of only 70 such lenses that remain operational in the United States, sixteen of which are use on the Great Lakes of which eight are in Michigan. French explorers used the word "marais" to mean "harbor of refuge" as well as "marsh." Many controversies in the little town revolve around costly dredging and breakwall-repair operations.
Grand Marais 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. It was part of the U.S. Life-Saving Service District 10 (later part of District 11). The other four Life-saving Stations were Deer Park, Two Heart, Crisp Point Light, and Vermilion Point. In 1915, these stations became part of the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1939 the U.S. Lighthouse Service also merged under the control of the U.S. Coast Guard.
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