WHITEHALL, MI – Nearly 150 years ago, the White River Light Station became a lighthouse connecting West Michigan to Chicago – first for lumber and then for tourists.
The historic beacon is located on the canal that connects White Lake to Lake Michigan and is located at 6199 Murray Road in Whitehall.
The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1960 and is now a museum operated by the Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association.
Visitors can climb the 38-foot tower and look out over Lake Michigan.
The $8 admission fee also allows visitors a glimpse into 19th century maritime history, including a portion of a Lake Michigan shipwreck and the original light station lens.
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An aerial photograph of the White River Light Station, built in 1875 on the White Lake Channel in Muskegon County, Michigan.Joel Bissell | MLive.com
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The canal was dug in 1870 to transport lumber from the sawmills on White Lake across Lake Michigan to Midwestern cities.
The goal of transporting lumber from Michigan became even more urgent after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
The beacon was completed in December 1875 and first lit in May 1876. Its light guided lumber schooners from the sawmills on White Lake, a tributary of the White River bordering the pine forests, to the great lake.
At the same time, the largest and most modern sawmill, The Staples and Covell Mill, opened on White Lake. According to the White Lake Area Chamber and Visitors Bureau, there were 13 sawmills in the White Lake area in 1883.
According to the historic market at the Staples and Covell sawmills site, in 1894 the sawmill produced 10 million board feet of lumber, which was transported by schooners, barges, barges and rail to Chicago and the East.
The closure of the sawmill in 1907 marked the end of the logging era on the White River.
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As the timber industry declined, tourism in the region increased.
According to the tourism bureau, White Lake welcomed tourists from Chicago arriving on the Goodrich Steamship Line and visitors from Michigan arriving on the Pere Marquette railroad line.
The steamship line served cities on Lake Michigan such as Whitehall, Muskegon, Grand Haven and Milwaukee.
At the White River Light Station, there is a steamship line poster advertising a $3 ride from Michigan cities to Chicago.
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Maritime artifacts give visitors a glimpse into life in the 19th century, including a room dedicated to lighthouse keepers and their logbooks.
The first lighthouse keeper, Captain William Robinson, came from England and served for 47 years. He lived in the small brick station with his wife Sarah and their large family of 13 children.
The White River Light Station was also home to Michigan’s last female lighthouse keeper, Frances Johnson, who served from 1949 to 1954.
At the lighthouse, visitors can practice tying sailor’s knots and marking logbook entries, as well as practice carrying 20-litre buckets that would normally be transported to the lantern room.
For more information about Michigan’s lighthouses, contact the Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association at splka.org. Or plan a visit to the White Lake area at whitelake.org.
