imported>GreenC bot: Rescued 2 archive links. Wayback Medic 2.5 per WP:URLREQ#nps.gov

2025-06-03T06:05:50Z

Rescued 2 archive links. Wayback Medic 2.5 per WP:URLREQ#nps.gov

New page

{{short description|Lighthouse in Michigan, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox lighthouse
| image_name = Little Sable Light Point Light Station - Michigan.jpg
| caption = Listed in National Register of Historic Places
| location = Ten miles south of [[Pentwater, Michigan]] on [[Lake Michigan]], Little Sable Point, [[Golden Township, Michigan]]
| coordinates = {{coord|43|39|6|N|86|32|20|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| yearbuilt = 1874
| yearlit = 1874<ref name="nps.gov">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070704161030/http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/light/littlesa.htm "Inventory of Historic Light Stations: Michigan Lighthouses"], Maritime Heritage Program, National Park Service, accessed 2008-07-06</ref>
| automated = 1955<ref name="nps.gov"/>
| foundation = 109 wooden piles, driven into sand<ref>Tag, Thomas A., ''Little Sable Point Light Station'', Softcover (Dayton, OH: Data Image, 1996) p. 35. {{ISBN|0-9649980-1-7}}</ref>
| construction = Rust brick, [[Italianate]] [[bracketing]]
| shape = [[Frustum]] of a [[Cone (geometry)|cone]]
| height = {{convert|107|ft}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/lists/towers.htm |author=Pepper, Terry |work=Seeing the Light |title=Database of Tower Heights |publisher=terrypepper.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000918211817/http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/lists/towers.htm |archive-date=2000-09-18 }}</ref>
| focalheight = {{convert|115|ft}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/lists/focalheight.htm |author=Pepper, Terry |work=Seeing the Light |title=Database of Focal Heights |publisher=terrypepper.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830100452/http://www.terrypepper.com/Lights/lists/focalheight.htm |archive-date=2008-08-30 }}</ref>
| marking = Red brick, natural (orig. white), black trim and lantern<ref name="michiganlights.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.michiganlights.com/littlesablepointlh.htm|title=Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, Little Sable Point Light.}}</ref><ref name="Central">[http://www.lighthousecentral.com/lighthouse_gallery.php4?lighthouse=Little%20Sable%20Point%20Light Roach, Jerry, Lighthouse Central, Photographs, History, Directions and Way points for Little Sable Point Light, ''The Ultimate Guide to West Michigan Lighthouses'' (Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC - 2005).] {{ISBN|0-9747977-0-7}}.</ref>
| lens = Third-Order [[Fresnel lens]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/lists/distribution.htm |author=Pepper, Terry |work=Seeing the Light |title=Database of Original Lenses |publisher=terrypepper.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000918211807/http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/lists/distribution.htm |archive-date=2000-09-18 }}</ref><ref name="friends">{{cite web|url=http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=193|title=Anderson, Kraig, Lighthouse friends article, Little Sable Point.}}</ref>
| intensity = 40,000 [[candlepower]]<ref>{{cite uscghist|MI}}</ref>
| range = {{convert|17|mi|nmi km|disp=flip}}{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}
| characteristic = Flashing white, 1 flash every 6 sec.<ref>Tag, Thomas A., ''Little Sable Point Light Station'', Softcover (Dayton, OH: Data Image, 1996) p. 10. {{ISBN|0-9649980-1-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite uscgll|7||}}</ref>
| module = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed = yes
| name = Little Sable Point Light Station ([[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] Light Station/Great Lakes)
| architect = Col. [[Orlando M. Poe]]
| architecture = [[Italianate]] [[bracketing]]
| added = July 19, 1984
| area = {{convert|1|acre}}
| mpsub = U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TR
| refnum = 84001827<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>
| designated_other1 = Michigan State Historic Site
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
}}}}

The '''Little Sable Point Light''' is a [[lighthouse]] located south of [[Pentwater, Michigan|Pentwater]] in the [[lower peninsula]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Michigan]].<ref name="TPepper">{{cite web|url=http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/michigan/littlesable/littlesable.htm|title=Pepper, Terry, Seeing the Light, Little Sable Light at terrypepper.com.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://wlol.arlhs.com/lighthouse/USA443.html|title=Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, Little Point Sable (Lake Michigan) Light, ARLHS USA-443}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://wlol.arlhs.com/|title=Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society World List of Lights (WLOL)}}</ref><ref name="Rowlett">{{cite rowlett|miwl}}</ref> It is in the southwest corner of [[Golden Township, Michigan|Golden Township]], just south of [[Silver Lake State Park (Michigan)|Silver Lake State Park]].

The lighthouse was designed by Col. [[Orlando M. Poe]] and has been described as "a classic Poe tower."<ref name="Rowlett"/><ref name="lighthouse.boatnerd.com">{{cite web|url=http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Michigan/littlesable.htm|title=Wobser, David, boatnerd.com, Little Sable Point Light.|access-date=2008-08-11|archive-date=2008-09-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907144210/http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Michigan/littlesable.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The design used 109 1-foot-diameter wood [[piling]]s<ref>[[National Park Service]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20070704161030/http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/light/littlesa.htm "Inventory of Historic Light Stations: Michigan Lighthouses" Little Sable Point].</ref> driven into the sand, capped by 12 feet of stone as a stout base for the brick tower. The walls of the tower are {{convert|5|ft}} thick at the base and {{convert|2|ft}} at its zenith.<ref>[http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/SPECIAL01/80519001 Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses.] ''[[The Detroit News]]''</ref>

==History==
Following the loss of the [[Schooner]] Pride in 1866, public outcries for a light at this locale were finally heard and heeded.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.harbourlights.com/catalog/2005/little_sable_mi.htm|title=Harbour Lights, Little Sable Point Light.}}</ref> Congress approved funding in 1871, but construction was delayed until 1874 due to lack of roads to the site.<ref name="Central"/>

[[File:Littlesable.jpg|thumb|left|Undated [[USCG]] photo]]
The station was originally named "Petite Pointe Au Sable Lighthouse", which is the name used on most official records; officially, however, the name was changed in 1910.<ref>Tag, Thomas A., ''Little Sable Point Light Station'', Softcover (Dayton, OH: Data Image, 1996) p. 6. {{ISBN|0-9649980-1-7}}</ref> Although commonly called "Little Sable Point Light", it is listed by the National Park Service as "Little Point Sable Light".<ref name="nps.gov"/>

The lantern room has eight fixed panels in its lower section, and the upper has ten rotating panels.

In 1954, the [[Lighthouse keeper]]'s dwelling was destroyed by the Coast Guard when electricity reached the site and the light was automated. "Evidence of the connection between the dwelling and tower are obvious to the visitor."<ref name="lighthouse.boatnerd.com"/>

Prior to 1900, the brick was left in its natural color and state, as it was unusually hard and held up well to the elements. (Unlike its sister, [[Big Sable Point Light]], which was made from [[Cream City Brick]], and had to be encased in [[steel]] [[Sheet steel|boilerplate]] to retard the deterioration.) Having it in natural tones, however, was a boon to the [[Lighthouse keeper]], who did not have to apply a yearly coat of [[whitewash]]. In 1900 the light was painted white for the first time, to assuage the complaints of mariners who said the brick was difficult to see. It remained that color until 1975, when it was sand blasted, and returned to its natural color.<ref name="TPepper"/> The lantern is capped by a copper roof.<ref name="lighthouse.boatnerd.com"/>

Big Sable Point Lighthouse (erected in 1867) is the same height, and is several miles to the north. It is distinguishable at night from Little Sable by having a fixed white light, and by day by the [[Daymark]] of the tower, being banded in black and white.<ref name="michiganlights.com"/>

For the first time in over 50 years (last open in 1949), in June, 2006, the lighthouse opened to the public, so they can now climb its 139 steps and view the Third Order [[Fresnel lens]] (manufactured by Sautter & Co. of Paris) and the panoramic landscape. It is open everyday, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from the first weekend in June through the end of September.<ref>[http://www.wkla.com/newsarchive.php?mn_id=06 Neushwander, Alan, ''Little Sable Point Lighthouse Opens To The Public'', Jun. 02 2006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070721163439/http://www.wkla.com/newsarchive.php?mn_id=06 |date=2007-07-21 }}, [[WKLA (disambiguation)|WKLA]].</ref><ref name="TPepper" />

The presence and continuous use of the original Third Order Fresnel lens makes this a relatively rare light. This is one of only seventy such lenses that are still operational in the United States, sixteen of which are use on the [[Great Lakes]] of which eight are in Michigan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/docs/CG_Classical_Lens_in_Operation.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090325150320/http://www.uscg.mil/history/docs/CG_Classical_Lens_in_Operation.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-03-25 |title=United States Coast Guard, Fresnel Lenses Still in Operation. }}</ref><ref>[http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_digest.asp?action=get_article&sk=983&bhcd2=1253476043 Merkel, Jan, ''Family Memories of Little Sable Point Light Station'', January, 2001] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614085123/http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_digest.asp?action=get_article&sk=983&bhcd2=1253476043 |date=2011-06-14 }}, [[Lighthouse Digest]].</ref>

It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is not listed on the State Register, but is in a protected area, ''i.e.'', a state park.

==Access==
[[Little Sable Point (Lake Michigan)|Little Sable Point]] is in [[Silver Lake State Park (Michigan)|Silver Lake State Park]], close to [[Mears, Michigan]]. The lighthouse parking lot is off of N. Lighthouse Dr. Take Silver Lake Road to its south end, where one will find N. Lighthouse Dr. Follow it a little over a mile. "It has an excellent swimming beach and Lake Michigan produces some great sunsets." There are about 200 parking spaces, but these are shared with beach users. As it is part of a [[Michigan State Park]], an entrance fee is charged for automobiles. "A dollar tower climbing fee helps preserve the lighthouse. Five dollars for children and eight for adults."<ref name="lighthouse.boatnerd.com"/>

==See also==
*[[Lighthouses in the United States]]

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==Further reading==
* [http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_digest.asp?action=get_article&sk=983&bhcd2=1253476043 Merkel, Jan, ''Family Memories of Little Sable Point Light Station'', January, 2001] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614085123/http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_digest.asp?action=get_article&sk=983&bhcd2=1253476043 |date=2011-06-14 }}, [[Lighthouse Digest]]
* {{cite book |last1=Oleszewski |first1=Wes |title=Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses |location=Gwinn, Michigan |publisher=Avery Color Studios, Inc |year=1998 |isbn=0-932212-98-0}}
* {{cite book |last1=Taylor|first1=Paul |date=October 2009 |title=Orlando M. Poe: Civil War General and Great Lakes Engineer |publisher=[[Kent State University Press]] |isbn=978-1-60635-040-9}} {{ISBN|978-1-60635-040-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=Tag|first1=Thomas A |title=Little Sable Point Light Station |location=Dayton|publisher=OH Data Image |year=1996 |page=35|isbn=0-9649980-1-7}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Little Sable Light}}
* [http://marinas.com/view/lighthouse/312 Aerial photos, Little Sable Point Light, marinas.com]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080615131628/http://www.bigsablelighthouse.org/ Big Sable Point Light official site]
* [http://www.lighthousesrus.org/Maps/mapIt.htm?file=GL/MichiganNorth.xml Interactive map of Lights in Northern Lake Michigan, mapped by Google]
* [http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/michigan/littlesable/littlesable.htm Pepper, Terry, Seeing the Light, Little Sable Light at terrypepper.com]
* [http://splka.org/ Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association]

{{Lighthouses of Michigan}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan}}
{{Michigan state parks}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Lighthouses completed in 1874]]
[[Category:Houses completed in 1874]]
[[Category:Michigan State Historic Sites]]
[[Category:Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Oceana County, Michigan]]

Little Sable Point Light - Revision history

imported>GreenC bot: Rescued 2 archive links. Wayback Medic 2.5 per WP:URLREQ#nps.gov