The history of lighthouses in Michigan City begins in the 1830s when city founder Isaac Elston pushed establishing navigational aids to spur the then-new city's growth as a port. Beacons on the mainland eventually proved inadequate as increased traffic and development resulted in need for greater visibility that pierhead lights offered.
Rapid growth marked the early years at Michigan City. Improvements at the harbor in the years before the Civil War included extensions of the piers on either side of the mouth of the Trail Creek, dredging of the harbor to accommodate larger vessels, and establishing a pierhead beacon in 1854 marking the harbor entry.
More changes at the harbor happened following the Civil War as the Army Corp of Engineers extended both piers, and the harbor saw its first beacon installed on the east pier in 1871.
That first pierhead beacon was a 27-foot-tall wooden pyramid-style structure topped by a lantern room. The new beacon increased the workload for then-light keeper Harriet Colfax who trekked out from the mainland to the light on an elevated catwalk to maintain the pier lantern, which was visible for 11-1/2 miles in clear weather.
Colfax's work became more difficult in 1874, when the light and 1,500-foot-long elevated catwalk moved from the east side of Trail Creek to the west pier with a new light tower. An 800-foot extension to the west pier meant Colfax had to row across the river and travel farther along the pier to maintain the light, or rely on an assistant living on the west side of the creek to maintain the light.
In 1886, a storm destroyed the west pier lighthouse, and the mainland lighthouse became the harbor's primary year-round beacon. Workers removed the elevated catwalk along the west pier in 1891, reassembling it on the south pier at Ludington, Michigan.
The government finally approved money to establish a new light tower and fog signal building at Michigan City in 1900.
By 1904, Michigan City had two light towers and a fog signal out on the piers. Renovations at the mainland lighthouse transformed it into a triplex large enough to house the light keeper, two assistants, and their families.
The then-new East Pierhead fog signal building with an octagonal tower atop it, familiar to visitors today, sported light paint to make it more visible during the day. The square building housed equipment to power the fog signal, and the tower housed the old mainland lighthouse's lantern. An elevated catwalk offered access to the tower for keepers.
Workers built a smaller, cylindrical tower on the west pier at the same time.
The larger East Pierhead light became a symbol of Michigan City and remains a favorite spot for photography, watching sunsets, or fishing.
Electrification of the beacon and automation of the of the fog signal on the east pier happened in 1933. Automation of the light came in 1960.
The Coast Guard considered removing the catwalk because the structure was costly to maintain and no longer necessary for lighthouse maintenance. Michigan City residents rallied to save the structure by getting it listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The city raised money to restore it in 1994. Today, Michigan City is one of few Great Lakes lighthouses with elevated catwalks (the Manistee Pierhead and Grand Haven lights in Michigan also have catwalks).
Michigan City acquired the lighthouse in 2007 after the Coast Guard deemed it excess inventory.
It is difficult to get a clear view of the lighthouse from the mainland. For the best views of the pierhead light, a place to park, and to walk out onto the pier for a closer look, you need to pay admission to the city's waterfront Washington Park ($6 per day as of this writing).
Read my story Visit the Old Lighthouse Museum at Michigan City, Indiana to learn about Michigan City's mainland light station and legendary keeper, Harriet Colfax.
Check out Michigan City Lighthouse: Guardians of Lake Michigan by Steven Elve, which features lots of vintage photos taken by light keepers Thomas Armstrong, Fred Dykeman, and Thomas Martin. There are some especially stunning photos of storm damage and the ice-covered tower from the early 1900s and 1910s in this book.
Check out Michigan City (Images of America) by Rose Anna Mueller for more about the city and its history.
Arcadia Press also has a couple of other books about Michigan City's waterfront: Michigan City Marinas by Jonita Davis and Michigan City Beach Communities: Sheridan, Long Beach, Duneland, Michiana Shores by Barbara Stodola.
© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved
we are trying to set up a surprise engagement at the light house can you tell me when you are open and if this has been done before?Any information you can give me would be much appreciated.
Posted by: Tina | February 22, 2016 at 12:55 PM
Hi Tina-I'm not affiliated with the lighthouse...just a lighthouse enthusiast who likes to write about them on my own travel blog. My best suggestion would be to try calling the Old Lighthouse Museum at (219) 872-6133. They open for the season on April 1 and might be able to help! http://www.oldlighthousemuseum.org/plan.html This is the museum director's email [email protected]
Good luck!
Posted by: Dominique King | February 22, 2016 at 03:15 PM