Waugoshance Light
Waugoshance in 2015
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| Location | Lake Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 45°47′10″N 85°5′28″W / 45.78611°N 85.09111°WCoordinates: 45°47′10″N 85°5′28″W / 45.78611°N 85.09111°W |
| Year first constructed | 1850 |
| Year first lit | 1851 |
| Deactivated | 1912 |
| Foundation | Timber crib filled with stone/concrete |
| Construction | Brick encased with steel or iron boilerplate |
| Tower shape | Frustum of a cone (encased in iron in 1883) |
| Markings / pattern | Natural |
| Height | 63 feet (19 m) |
| Focal height | 74 feet (23 m) |
| Original lens | Fourth order Fresnel lens |
| Current lens | Removed |
| Characteristic | Original: Fog bell, Steam Whistle |
| ARLHS number |
USA-784 |
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Waugoshance Light Station
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| Nearest city | Waugoshance Island, Michigan |
| Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
| MPS | U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TR |
| NRHP reference # | 83000841 |
| Added to NRHP | August 04, 1983 |
| Heritage | place listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
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USA-784
The lighthouse at Waugoshance protects boats from a shoal area at the northern end of Lake Michigan. The lighthouse is located in Emmet County, Michigan, United States, and in U.S. Coast Guard District No. 9.
Boats from Chicago heading North (and ultimately) East need to navigate the narrow tip of northern Lake Michigan, and there are many dangers. The area around Waugoshance Point is not only shallow, it's a large (in area) projection from the bottom of the lake. Boats large enough to safely travel in times of storm cannot approach the light closer than a few hundred yards.
Adding to the complication of navigation in this area is the White Shoal, located just north of Waugoshance. This area is currently protected by White Shoal Light—built in 1912, nearby, powerful and larger—and Grays Reef Light which rendered this lighthouse obsolete.
During the last half of the nineteenth century, this light marked the turning point for ships traveling through the Straits of Mackinac and along Lake Michigan's eastern shore between the mainland and the Beavers. With a water less than 12 feet (3.7 m) deep, it was "one of the most dangerous parts of the Straits." Thereafter, a "Gray's Reef passage" became more typical because modern freighters require considerably more depth, so Waugoshance is bypassed about 2 miles (3.2 km) to the west.
In 1832 the first lightvessel on the Great Lakes was placed here. That wooden lightship was the Lois McLain. In 1851 she was replaced by the Waugoshance Light, which stands in the area of the Wilderness State Park, and which remains one of the most hazardous areas near the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan. The last light vessel on the Great Lakes was the Lightship Huron.
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Wikipedia