Wawatam Lighthouse (November 2022)
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Wawatam Lighthouse is an automated, modern
lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...
that guards the harbor of
St. Ignace, Michigan St. Ignace ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,306 at the 2020 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city; the two are administered separat ...
, in the
Straits of Mackinac The Straits of Mackinac ( ; ) are the short waterways between the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, traversed by the Mackinac Bridge. The main strait is wide with a maximum depth of , and connects the Great Lakes of Lake M ...
. Originally completely nonfunctional, it was erected in 1998 by the
Michigan Department of Transportation The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is a constitutional government principal department of the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interst ...
(MDOT) near
Monroe, Michigan Monroe is the largest city in Monroe County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 20,462 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomously. M ...
as a
roadside attraction A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road meant to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere, rather than being a destination. They are frequently advertised with billboard (advertis ...
at a
welcome center A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center or tourist information centre is a physical location that provides information to tourists. Types A visitor center may be a Civic ce ...
that greeted northbound drivers on
Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...
(I-75). After serving in this capacity for six years, the structure was threatened in 2004 when MDOT decided to rebuild the welcome center and demolish the tower. Demolition was averted when the St. Ignace civic leaders for the Straits of Mackinac municipality, which had never had a light tower, heard of the opportunity and asked that the welded steel tower be given to them, this time for use in real life. Over a two-year period, the redundant structure was cut apart, trucked to St. Ignace, and re-erected, this time as a functional
aid to navigation In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. The ...
with a working light. The "new" lighthouse was re-lighted in St. Ignace in August 2006. As of 2023, it is one of the final working light towers to be erected in the waters of the United States.


History

The lighthouse was originally built by
MDOT MDOT may refer to: *Maryland Department of Transportation *Michigan Department of Transportation *Mississippi Department of Transportation See also *Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) *Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT ...
in 1998 as an
architectural folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...
at the Monroe
welcome center A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center or tourist information centre is a physical location that provides information to tourists. Types A visitor center may be a Civic ce ...
on
I-75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Southeastern United States, Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end ...
near
Monroe, Michigan Monroe is the largest city in Monroe County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 20,462 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomously. M ...
, in the southeastern corner of the state near the Ohio border. It was a lighthouse structure that was constructed far away from navigational waters as an element of the tourist heritage of the state. In 2004, MDOT decided to renovate the center and declared the structure obsolete. It was scheduled to be demolished. After concerns were raised about this decision, the state government agreed that the structure should be dismantled and moved to a location where it would be useful. Serendipitously, while attending a conference for municipal officials, St. Ignace civic leaders learned of its availability. The civic leaders successfully applied to serve as the new location of the structure, and the lighthouse was disassembled into five pieces and trucked more than from Monroe to
East Moran Bay East Moran Bay is a small, historic harbor in the Straits of Mackinac adjacent to the city of St. Ignace in the U.S. state of Michigan. The harbor is used as a commercial port for Star Line Ferry and Shepler's Ferry ferry boats from St. Igna ...
in
St. Ignace, Michigan St. Ignace ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,306 at the 2020 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city; the two are administered separat ...
. When it was at the welcome center, the
hexagon In geometry, a hexagon (from Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°. Regular hexagon A regular hexagon is de ...
al tower was painted white, with green and red trim. The original lighthouse was welded by a single man; Ed Morris, owner of the Morris Machine Shop in
Bay City, Michigan Bay City is a city in Bay County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 32,661 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is located just upriver from the Saginaw Bay on the Saginaw River. It is the princip ...
, was chosen because of his skill as a
welder A welder is a person or equipment that fuses materials together. The term welder refers to the operator, the machine is referred to as the welding power supply. The materials to be joined can be metals (such as steel, aluminum, brass, stainles ...
. The original plans called for a structure, but he went to the larger height of to "challenge himself". The lighthouse was one of three that he built for Michigan welcome centers. The other two were at
New Buffalo, Michigan New Buffalo is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,708 during the 2020 census. History The area around the mouth of the Galien River was originally populated by Miami and Potawatomi peoples. Later, Fren ...
and
Clare, Michigan Clare is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located near the center of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, the city is located mostly in Clare County, while a small portion extends south into Isabella County. The city had a population of 3,254 at t ...
. Morris worked with eight men and it took about three months to complete the projects. As Morris explained to the '' St. Ignace News'', "his lighthouses were to be designed as museum-quality attractions at welcome centers ... to make an imposing first impression on visitors." They had a base. Morris opined that anything in excess of 16 m was beyond his bailiwick. He also suggested that its steel structure should make it highly resistant to storms. Transporting the structure by truck north from Monroe to St. Ignace cost $20,000 by itself. The project cost $50,000 all total including the transporting, repair, and erection. Half was provided by the Michigan Waterways Commission and small community donations paid the rest. The lighthouse was reassembled using a crane in 2006. Based upon a survey of residents, it was named ''Wawatam Lighthouse'' in honor of a railroad car ferry that had been home-ported in St. Ignace for many decades, SS ''Chief Wawatam''. After reassembly, the Wawatam Lighthouse was relit on August 20, 2006. The lighthouse is now an official
United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...
privately maintained
aid to navigation In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. The ...
, USCG 7–12608, on
Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south and west by the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the lake is derived from early French ex ...
. Maintenance is by the city of St. Ignace. Public access is by walking the pier.


Wawatam Pier

The chosen location for the rebuilt lighthouse was the former St. Ignace railroad pier, originally built in the 1800s as the home port of a train ferry. Operated by a joint venture that included St. Ignace's
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A; ) was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, w ...
, the ferry shuttled railroad cars across the
Straits of Mackinac The Straits of Mackinac ( ; ) are the short waterways between the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, traversed by the Mackinac Bridge. The main strait is wide with a maximum depth of , and connects the Great Lakes of Lake M ...
. Starting soon after its launch date in 1911, these duties were fulfilled by the ''Chief Wawatam.'' Designed by
Frank E. Kirby Frank E. Kirby (July 1, 1849 – August 25, 1929) was a naval architect in the Detroit, Michigan (United States) area in the early 20th century. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest naval architects in United States, American history. Biog ...
and built by the
Toledo Shipbuilding Company The Toledo Shipbuilding Company was a shipyard located on Toledo, Ohio. History The Toledo Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1905 when a syndicate of investors purchased the Craig Shipbuilding Company in Toledo, Ohio. The group was composed of L ...
, the ''Chief'' "carried as many as 28 rail cars per trip between
Mackinaw City Mackinaw City ( ) is a village at the northernmost point of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, United States. Divided between Cheboygan and Emmet counties, Mackinaw City is located at the southern end of the Mackinac Bridge, which carries Interst ...
and St. Ignace." The ferry boat, in turn, had been named in honor of a leading Straits of Mackinac local resident of the 1700s, the
Odawa The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ) are an Indigenous North American people who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, now in jurisdictions of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Their territory long prec ...
clan leader Wawatam. The St. Ignace dock collapsed in 1984, and in 1986 the successor railroad abandoned the last rail link to St. Ignace. This ended the ferry era. A truncated stretch of tracks and the track elevator (which oriented the tracks so the cars could be loaded on the ferry) were still visible as of 2014. On the dock, within a short distance from the light, is a tall wooden statue honoring Wawatam. Erected in 2012 by the city, it was designed and carved by Tom Paquin and Sally Paquin, local artists.


Status

The new lighthouse is duly noted on newer
navigational chart A nautical chart or hydrographic chart is a graphic representation of a sea region or water body and adjacent coasts or banks. Depending on the scale of the chart, it may show depths of water (bathymetry) and heights of land (topography), na ...
s. and operates year-round. It not only guides mariners but is a beacon for snowmobilers traveling across the frozen Straits of Mackinac to and from
Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( , ; ; ; ) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac and "Mitchimakinak" in Ojibwemowin, meaning "Great Turtle". It is located in ...
in winter. The lighthouse and harbor also serve Coast Guard
ice breaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and Ice navigation, navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also r ...
s, such as the tug '' Katmai Bay'' and heavy duty breaker '' Mackinaw''. The lighthouse was the featured lighthouse of the Michigan Lighthouse festival in 2015. As of 2017, this was the latest addition to Michigan's 150 listed ( including historical and now demolished) lighthouses.


Location

The Wawatam Lighthouse is located in downtown St. Ignace, at the eastern end of McCann Street near its intersection with North State Street, St. Ignace's main waterfront highway.


Notes


References


Further reading

* * *


External links


Boat cruises passed scenic Wawatam Lighthouse in colorful light of dawn, Saint Ignace, Upper Michigan
* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJlqyfpZC-U Top 12. Best Tourist Attractions in Saint Ignace, Michigan {{authority control Lighthouses in Mackinac County, Michigan Lighthouses completed in 1998