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President Polk appropriated $5,000
to build the first lighthouse structure on July 3,
1847. It was made from stones collected on a Lake
Huron beach.
(A transcription of the contract
to construct the
first lighthouse can be read
here).
An archeological dig was conducted in May, 2003.
See Pictures and article on the dig.
The beach stones did not hold up well
to the severe weather conditions and by 1857 the structure
had developed structural cracks. The original lighthouse
was demolished and a new one built in 1857. It had
an 89 foot tower fitted with a state-of-the-art third
order Fresnel lens imported from France.
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In 1957 the Fresnel lens was replaced
with a modern electric light. Today a one-million candlepower
automated beacon flashes from the tower and can be seen
18 miles out in Lake Huron.
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