Ontonagon Lighthouse

One of the Great Lakes' oldest lighthouses, Ontonagon's dates from 1852 when the port was busy with ships loaded with copper and lumber. From Memorial Day weekend through color season, daily tours of the current 1867 yellow brick lighthouse leave from the historical museum at 11:30 and 1:30.

In 1847, eight years before the Soo Locks were completed, so many ships sailed out of Ontonagon, carrying copper and lumber, that the federal government bought land for a lighthouse here. Completed by 1852, the frame lighthouse was only the fifth lighthouse on all of Lake Superior.

The present cream brick lighthouse was completed by 1866. It's in the so-called "schoolhouse" design with square tower at the front gable end, like Copper Harbor's lighthouse.

Today scheduled tours allow visitors to tour the lighthouse and climb the tower. (It has fine views of the harbor, Lake Superior, and the profile of the Porcupine Mountains 20 miles away.) The light keeper's dwelling, steadily being restored, is in pretty good shape. The kitchen is now finished. Restoration is to the well documented 1900-1915 time frame. Some furnishings are from the lighthouse. The original fifth-order Fresnel lens, now returned, can be seen at the main museum. For more on the Ontonagon lighthouse's especially interesting historical context, visit ontonoganmuseum.org and terrypepper.com.

Over the years, south shore currents on Lake Superior have piled up silt so that the lighthouse now sits a quarter of a mile inland. It is surrounded by the gated grounds of the huge Smurfit-Stone paper mill, which only allows visitors who come on tours conducted by the Ontonagon County Historical Society. It has long been involved in protecting, restoring, and eventually owning this charming relic. It gained control from the Corps of Engineers in 1969 and since then has been working with the corps, the village of Ontonagon, and the paper mill. The society hopes to gain a riverside easement, so visitors can walk directly to the lighthouse. There's no easy fix for removing the coal piles hiding the lighthouse from the road. There's nowhere else to put the coal, and it's essential for Smurfit-Stone and White Pine, two critical employers.

Lighthouse tours are held daily from Memorial Day weekend through October, Mon-Fri at 11, 2, and 4, Sat at 11 and 2. Tours by request in the off-season. (906) 884-6165. Tours (in 12-person van) begin at the purple historical museum downtown at 422 River St. Bus tours welcome. $5/person. Ages 15 and under free. Wheelchair access: with assistance to first floor, where a video of the second floor can be seen.
[Get Directions]

Return to Ontonagon

Best of the Best U.P. Maps

Incredibly Useful!
Hunt's Map Guide to the Upper Peninsula • Favorite hikes, beaches, restaurants, shops, lighthouses, scenic drives, waterfalls, & much more
• 13 detailed U.P. maps
• Full color, on sturdy, water-resistant paper
• Folds out to 12”x38”
• Only $6.95
To learn more & buy online, click here