South Manitou Island Light
South Manitou Island Lighthouse
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| Location | South Manitou Island, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 45°00′27.654″N 86°05′37.62″W / 45.00768167°N 86.0937833°WCoordinates: 45°00′27.654″N 86°05′37.62″W / 45.00768167°N 86.0937833°W |
| Year first constructed | 1840 |
| Year first lit | 1840 |
| Deactivated | 1958 |
| Foundation | Oak pilings, cut limestone |
| Construction | Brick and masonry, Italianate bracketing |
| Tower shape | Conical |
| Markings / pattern | white w/black trim and lantern |
| Height | 65 feet (20 m) |
| Focal height | 104 feet (32 m) |
| Original lens | Third order Fresnel lens |
| USCG number |
7-18357 |
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South Manitou Island Lighthouse Complex and Life Saving Station Historical District
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| Area | 47 acres (19 ha) |
| Built | 1872 |
| NRHP reference # | |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 28, 1983 |
| Designated MSHS | September 21, 1976 |
| Heritage | place listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
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7-18357
South Manitou Island Lighthouse is located on South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan, 16 miles (26 km) west of Leland, Michigan. It is in Leelanau County in western Northern Michigan.
This is the third lighthouse built on the island. Construction of the first began in 1839 and the 1-1/2-story lighthouse with a lens in the cupola first went on in 1840, under the care of Lighthouse keeper William N. Burton, who had a thriving lumbering business. It had a Lewis lamp, which was upgraded to a fourth order Fresnel lens /freɪˈnɛl/. Deterioration of the building led to the lighthouse being completely rebuilt in 1858. Over time this light was found to be deficient, and the current lighthouse was built in 1872. With a third order Fresnel lens sitting 91 feet (28 m) above the foundation, this light boasted a focal plane of 104 feet (32 m). The site is under the control of the National Park Service, in conjunction with the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1958, and is now a museum. It is not operational.
“The lighthouse on South Manitou Island is, or was while it was still in operation, perhaps the most beautiful on the Great Lakes,”
Guide Emily McKinney stated: “You’re not only looking at Lake Michigan out there, you’re looking at the Manitou Passage,” she said. “It’s a big stretch of water between the Straits of Mackinac in Chicago, 300 miles (480 km). If you use you imagination, take yourselves back 150 years ago.” The passage was preferred as safer than being on the open lake—so much so that 1,000 ships passed each day, carrying people and commerce—the passageway nonetheless was treacherous.
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Wikipedia