The DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society (DRLPS) is seeking old movies,
\nphotographs and recollections of interesting events related to the DeTour
\nReef Light and DeTour Point Light.\u00a0 Under a grant received from the
\nMichigan Coastal Management Program, the Society is producing a video
\nperspective of the DeTour Reef Light and the video document would be
\ngreatly enhanced by the addition of historical information (films, photos,
\nvideos, personal experiences, etc.) not currently in the Society’s
\npossession.\u00a0 The DRLPS is particularly seeking interior photographs and
\nfilms, not only for use in the video perspective, but to assist in the
\ninterior renovation and furnishing of the Lighthouse.\u00a0\u00a0 Individuals willing
\nto provide such materials to the Society are requested to contact Society
\nDirector David Bardsley by email <bardsley@lighthouse.net>, mail (James
\nIsland, Drummond Island, MI 49706) or phone (906-493-6609).\u00a0\u00a0 Any materials
\nprovided will be copied and returned to the owner.<\/p>\n
Over the past several years, under the sponsorship of the Village of DeTour
\nand Drummond Island Township, DRLPS has been awarded several grants
\ntotaling more than one million dollars from state and federal sources to
\nrestore the DeTour Reef Light located in northern Lake Huron at the eastern
\nend of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The exterior restoration work will begin
\nthis spring with interior restoration to follow.
\nThe Society seeks to restore and preserve the DeTour Reef Light as an
\noffshore lighthouse museum and to educate the public on the lighthouse and
\nMichigan’s maritime history.<\/p>\n
Since 1847, a lighthouse has been located at DeTour Passage at the
\nnorthwestern head of Lake Huron at the mouth of St. Mary’s River, which
\nconnects Lake Huron to Lake Superior.\u00a0\u00a0 The first lighthouse, the DeTour
\nPoint Light Station, was established on April 13, 1847, with the land being
\nacquired by presidential set aside. The buildings were constructed in the
\nsame year. However, the light was not shown until 1848. Apparently by the
\ntime the construction was completed it was too late in the year to fit the
\nlight and employ the keeper. The original structure was described as a
\nwhite stone tower approximately 65 feet high with a five room, one and a
\nhalf story house. There are no known photographs or drawings of the
\noriginal structures. The iron tower that most people are familiar with at
\nthe site was constructed in 1861.
\nDue to ever increasing ship traffic and the dangerous offshore reef, a new
\nlighthouse was built offshore called the DeTour Reef Light.
\nThe DeTour Reef Light, located a mile offshore from the original onshore
\nlighthouse, was built in 1931. It is well known to ship captains and
\npleasure boaters who sail the upper Great Lakes. The lighthouse stands as a
\ntestament to the importance of shipping in the region’s political, economic
\nand social history.<\/p>\n
The lighthouse foundation, resting in 23 feet of water, is a crib style
\nconcrete 20-feet high 60-feet square base that supports the reinforced
\nconcrete\/steel Art Deco-style square building. The white structure with a
\nred roof has a tower extending 63 feet over the deck making the top of the
\ntower 83 feet above the water.\u00a0 Beginning in the 1870s, crib foundation
\nconstruction was used extensively for lighthouses on the Great Lakes. The
\nDeTour Reef Light is one of these examples. Wooden cribs were constructed
\nashore, and then towed to the site and filled with stone. Once the crib had
\nsettled to the bottom, it was capped with concrete or some other masonry.
\nOften, once the crib had settled, it was necessary to level the structure
\nby adding weight to one side or another. When construction on the building
\nwas completed, the focal plane of the lens stood 74 above the water. The
\nlight was first lit on November 7, 1931.<\/p>\n
For generations the light at DeTour Passage has provided a beacon for those
\nvessels seeking the “Gateway to Superior.” The DeTour Reef Light
\nPreservation Society was established in 1998 as a nonprofit 501c3
\norganization. To learn more about the organization and the lighthouse,
\nvisit <www.DRLPS.com>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society (DRLPS) is seeking old movies, photographs and recollections of interesting events related to the DeTour Reef Light and DeTour Point Light.\u00a0 Under a grant received from the Michigan Coastal Management Program, the Society is producing a video perspective of the DeTour Reef Light and the video document would be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2003-2004-archived-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alpenalighthouse.org\/michiganlights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alpenalighthouse.org\/michiganlights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alpenalighthouse.org\/michiganlights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alpenalighthouse.org\/michiganlights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alpenalighthouse.org\/michiganlights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.alpenalighthouse.org\/michiganlights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":205,"href":"http:\/\/www.alpenalighthouse.org\/michiganlights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203\/revisions\/205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alpenalighthouse.org\/michiganlights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alpenalighthouse.org\/michiganlights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alpenalighthouse.org\/michiganlights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}