Historical Information

When lights were originally established at the mouth of the Portage River in 1868, they took the form of a pair of range lights. The front range light being a 19 foot wooden tower, and the rear light a lantern 25 feet above a wooden frame dwelling with a front porch.

Replaced by the existing octagonal steel tower in 1920, the light was designed to be automated from its inception, and remains today in its' original condition.

Keepers of this Light

Click here to see a complete listing of all Keweenaw Waterway Light keepers compiled by Phyllis L. Tag of Great Lakes Lighthouse Research.

Seeing this Light

We hoped to get up onto the base of the tower, however the steel stairs have been removed, making it impossible to climb the wet concrete.

From the end of the pier, we could just make-out the lantern room of the Portage Lighthouse peering through the trees about a mile to the north, and this slight view gave us a good idea as to the direction we needed head in order to get to our next target.

Finding this Light

Take M26 to Lake Linden. Turn East on Jacobsville Rd. Follow Jacobsville Rd. until it becomes Bootjack Rd. Follow Bootjack Rd. to Torch Lake until the road splits in a "Y." Take Dreamland Rd, which is the left leg of the "Y." Continue on Dreamland approximately tem miles to a "T" intersection. Turn right at the "T" intersection onto a gravel road. Follow this gravel road until it ends in a park at the pier. There are plenty of parking places throughout the park. It is a short walk to the lakeshore, and the pier.

Reference Sources

Inventory of Historic Light Stations, National Parks Service, 1994.
Michigan Lighthouses, Penrose, 1992
Personal visit to Keweenaw Waterway on 09/08/1999
Photographs from author's personal collection.
Keeper listings for this light appear courtesy of Great Lakes Lighthouse Research

Click for Houghton weather conditions