Grand Marais' Gracious Beacons: The Inner and Outer Refuge Lights

Grand Marais' Gracious Beacons: The Inner and Outer Refuge Lights

Amble through the entertaining history of Grand Marais' Grand Marais Harbor of Refuge Inner and Outer Lights, a pair of lighthouses deemed historically significant enough for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Grand Marais Harbor of Refuge Inner and Outer Lights, a pair of iconic lighthouses, laze on the western pier of Grand Marais, Michigan, and found themselves on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. These beacons of light were first lit by the Lighthouse Board in 1895, and they've been guiding ships ever since, serving as essential Nav Y pegs for the St. Marys River. The Inner Light, standing tall at 55 feet, keeps watch at the inner end of the pier, while the Outer Light, sizing in at a tidy 34 feet, perches at the outer end. The Army Corps of Engineers initially constructed the breakwater in 1881, but after the 1960s, it stopped receiving the TLC it needed, leading to sand filling the harbor. These Grand Marais Harbor of Refuge Inner and Outer Lights serve as a swell reminder of the rich maritime yarns spun in the Grand Marais region.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Written by Friendly Jane

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