One of the things Cyndi and I did during our visit to Wilderness State Park in May was to visit the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, situated at the far northern tip of Michigan’s lower peninsula.

This was built in 1889 to help guide ships through the Straits of Mackinac, connecting Lake Michigan with Lake Huron, and was in operation until 1957, when the Mackinac Bridge was completed; the lights on the top of the bridge piers are so much higher and more useful. In the photos below, you can see the bridge piers

In 1972, this became the Mackinac Maritime Museum. We got a tour of the lighthouse itself, by climbing it with a guide dressed in a lighthouse keeper’s uniform. As you might imagine, the staircase to the top is pretty steep and very narrow. Here’s the inside of the lighthouse, and a view of the bridge out of one of the portals(it was raining as we climbed, so the bridge is partially hidden in mist):

The lighthouse used to have a huge steam powered fog horn. This is the operational foghorn that is used as a demonstration for guests. It is still pretty loud, and is powered by an air compressor. The cylindrical bell is an important part of why the bell is so loud. If I recall the tour guide’s description, they can only operate it at certain times, since it can still be heard across the straits.

Afterwards, we had lunch at a Darrow’s Family Restaurant. I had fish, mashed potatoes and coleslaw, and then we split a slice of rhubarb pie with ice cream