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29-648: This Sand Point Light is one of two bearing that name in Michigan. The other is in Baraga . Soon after it became a town in 1863, Escanaba was quickly growing as an important shipping port. The Peninsula Railroad was completed in 1864, which linked Escanaba to the iron mines of the Upper Peninsula to the north. Iron ore docks were built in the Escanaba harbor and the shipping of iron ore to steel mills along

58-492: A contract with Milwaukee-based WEC Energy’s subsidiary Upper Michigan Energy Resources for a fuel testing pilot. According to the United States Census Bureau , the village has a total area of 2.18 square miles (5.65 km ), of which 2.12 square miles (5.49 km ) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km ) is water. As of the census of 2020 , the population was 1,883. The population density

87-542: A fishing net stake. Le Griffon was the first full-sized European style sailing ship on the upper Great Lakes that was built and commanded by the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in 1679. The ship disappeared with all six crew members and its cargo of furs after departing from Green Bay in Sept. of that same year on the return trip of her maiden voyage. The location and reason of her sinking has remained

116-465: A household in the village was $ 26,290, and the median income for a family was $ 33,906. Males had a median income of $ 31,838 versus $ 21,333 for females. The per capita income for the village was $ 14,795. About 9.8% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line , including 14.2% of those under age 18 and 20.1% of those age 65 or over. Indian Trails bus lines operates daily intercity bus service between Hancock and Milwaukee with

145-467: A month before the lighthouse was ready to be manned. With the lighthouse nearly completed but with no lightkeeper ready to report to duty, John Terry's wife, Mary, was appointed lightkeeper and subsequently became one of the first female lightkeepers on the Great Lakes. Mary Terry was a well-respected citizen in the community and fulfilled her duties as lightkeeper with efficiency and dedication. She

174-597: A radiating power of 11.5 miles (18.5 km). A unique distinction concerning the Sand Point Lighthouse is that it was constructed with its tower facing the land instead of facing the water. Whether this orientation was intentional or an engineering blunder is unknown. John Terry was appointed the first lighthouse keeper of the new lighthouse in December 1867, but he became very ill and died in April 1868

203-688: A stop in Baraga Township, just outside Baraga. Poverty Island Poverty Island is a 186 acre uninhabited island in northern Lake Michigan . It is one of an archipelago of islands across the entrance to Green Bay and Big Bay de Noc commonly called the Potawatomi Islands , which are an outcropping of the Niagara Escarpment . The island is within Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan . The surface

232-807: Is a mixture of forest and rocky outcroppings. The only structures are the Poverty Island Light Station (1875), an abandoned lighthouse and outbuildings which are in disrepair. Poverty Island is currently owned by the federal government . Other islands in the Potawatomi archipelago include Little Summer Island , Summer Island , Gull Island, and St. Martin Island in Michigan, and Rock Island , Washington Island , Pilot Island , Detroit Island and Plum Island in Wisconsin. Poverty Island Passage between Poverty Island and Gull Island,

261-665: Is a village in Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan . The population was 1,883 at the 2020 census . The village is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga . The village is located in Baraga Township on the Keweenaw Bay on Lake Superior at the junction of US 41 and M-38 . It is entirely within the boundaries of the L'Anse Indian Reservation . The Baraga ZIP code 49908 also serves areas of northern and northwestern Baraga Township. Baraga began with

290-535: Is one of the principle passages into Green Bay. Le Griffon On June 16, 2013, U.S. and French archeologists began examining an underwater object first discovered in 2001 near Poverty Island that could be the wreck of Le Griffon , a 17th century sailing ship, although it will take time to determine if it is even a shipwreck . Dean Anderson, the Michigan State Archeologist, examined the object, an alleged " bowsprit ," and determined it to be

319-478: Is still in use today and can be seen from the tower of the Sand Point Lighthouse. The Sand Point Lighthouse was no longer operational, but it continued to serve as housing for Coast Guard seaman who were assigned to duty in Escanaba. Upon using the lighthouse as their residence, the Coast Guard made many changes to the structure. The lantern room was removed and the tower was lowered by ten feet. In addition,

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348-491: The Great Lakes became Escanaba's leading industry. As shipping traffic increased dramatically, so did the need for some sort of light structure to guide the ships in and out of the harbor and to warn them of the treacherous sand shoals that reached out into Little Bay de Noc from Sand Point , a sandspit located just south of and adjacent to the harbor area. The United States Lighthouse Service approved construction of

377-503: The census of 2010, there were 2,053 people, 527 households, and 310 families residing in the village. The population density was 968.4 inhabitants per square mile (373.9/km ). There were 580 housing units at an average density of 273.6 per square mile (105.6/km ). The racial makeup of the village was 44.9% White , 29.4% African American , 22.0% Native American , 0.1% Asian , 0.1% from other races , and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 1.0% of

406-410: The Sand Point Lighthouse at a cost of $ 11,000. Construction began in the fall of 1867 and was completed in early spring 1868. The light first shone on the night of May 13, 1868. The Sand Point Lighthouse is a story-and-a-half rectangular building with an attached brick tower. The tower is topped with a cast iron lantern room which houses a fourth order Fresnel lens , emitting a fixed red light with

435-585: The Sand Point Lighthouse from its inception in 1868 to its deactivation in 1939. It was in this year that the United States Coast Guard took over all navigational lights in the country from the National Lighthouse Service . The Coast Guard constructed an automated crib light several hundred feet offshore, which replaced the function and duties of the Sand Point Lighthouse and its lightkeeper. The automated crib light

464-665: The establishment of the Holy Name Mission at this site by Rev. Frederic Baraga in 1843. The post office opened with the name Bristol on June 29, 1869, and changed to Baraga on May 11, 1870. In 1993, the Baraga Correctional Facility was opened in the town. On May 30, 2022, a consortium including Finnish technology giant Wärtsilä, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and Burns & McDonnell unveiled

493-530: The help of the original 1867 plan of the building, the Delta County Historical Society began extensive research and fundraising for this immense restoration project. The historical society first removed the aluminum siding to expose the original brickwork. The roof was lowered to its original level, the new windows were bricked-in and the ten foot lopped-off tower was rebuilt. Since the original lantern room and lens were not salvaged,

522-484: The historical society had to look elsewhere for replacements. They found a lantern room on nearby Poverty Island which had been removed from the Poverty Island Light Station there and was sitting on the ground next to the tower for nearly a decade. In 1989, along with the lantern room, a fourth order fresnel lens was obtained from the Menominee Pier Light , both of which were nearly exact duplicates of

551-492: The lighthouse badly damaged, restoration took nearly two full months and a new lightkeeper, Lewis Rose, was appointed to take over. Over the years a number of changes took place at the Sand Point Lighthouse. Perhaps the most significant was when the lighthouse was hooked up to the city's electric supply in 1913. This meant that the kerosene lamp was removed from within the lens and replaced with an incandescent light bulb . A total of nine lightkeepers and their families lived in

580-573: The lighthouse is open from Memorial Day to October 1, giving visitors a chance to climb the tower and witness what it would have been like to be a lightkeeper around the turn of the 20th century. An admission fee is charged. The light is listed on the National Register of Historical Places, Reference #97001474. Name of Listing: Sand Point Lighthouse. It is also on the state inventory list, beginning in 1989. Baraga, Michigan Baraga ( / ˈ b ɛər ə ɡ ə / BAIR -ə-gə )

609-470: The originals that once sat atop Sand Point Lighthouse and the lens was replaced. A photo of the installed Fourth Order Fresnel lens is available. To finish the restoration, the lighthouse was painted white and the interior space was restored and furnished as a turn of the 20th century replica. After a dedication ceremony in July 1990, the newly restored Sand Point lighthouse was opened to the public. Each year

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638-440: The population. There were 527 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples living together, 18.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.2% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

667-456: The population. 25.5% were of Finnish , 9.9% French , 9.2% German , and 6.3% French-Canadian ancestry according to Census 2000 . There were 544 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who

696-456: The roof was raised to create a full second floor, several windows were added and the entire building was covered in aluminum siding . With these changes, the Sand Point Lighthouse was barely recognizable. The U.S. Coast Guard occupied the building until 1985 when they moved to a new location. The abandoned lighthouse was then obtained by the Delta County Historical Society in 1986 with plans to restore it back to its original appearance. With

725-417: The village. The population density was 569.6 inhabitants per square mile (219.9/km ). There were 605 housing units at an average density of 268.2 per square mile (103.6/km ). The racial makeup of the village was 68.79% White , 0.16% African American , 23.97% Native American , 0.62% Asian , 0.31% from other races , and 6.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 0.86% of

754-439: Was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the village was 35.7 years. 15.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 40.9% were from 25 to 44; 22.6% were from 45 to 64; and 10% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 68.8% male and 31.2% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,285 people, 544 households, and 326 families residing in

783-440: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.03. In the village, 27.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.8% was from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.4 males. The median income for

812-405: Was 885.7 inhabitants per square mile (342.0/km ). There were 617 housing units at an average density of 290.2 per square mile (112.0/km ). The racial makeup of the village was 37.2% White , 31.4% Black or African American , 22.8% Native American , 0.1% Asian , 0.9% from other races , and 7.5% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.2% Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of

841-414: Was lightkeeper from 1868 to 1886, when a mysterious fire severely damaged the lighthouse and took her life. To date, no one knows exactly what happened or why it happened. Some speculate that it was an attempted burglary and that the suspect set the lighthouse afire to cover any evidence of wrongdoing. The south entrance door showed signs of forced entry, yet none of Mary Terry's valuables were taken. With

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