St. Joseph Lighthouse, Michigan, June 11, 1995.

August 7, 1789, President George Washington signed an act by the U.S. Congress to create and establish lighthouses, beacons, and buoys. The text of the original act is here.  “National Lighthouse Day” was created by an act of Congress and signed by Ronald Reagan on November 5, 1988.

South Haven Lighthouse, Michigan. June 29, 2004.

My fascination with and love of lighthouses began when I lived in Michigan. Michiganders love their lighthouses. Before sunset, cars start arriving at lighthouses all along Michigan’s west coast. Depending on the weather, they get out of their cars or stay inside to watch the sunset. After the sun goes down they head for home. Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state in the United States.

Point Iroquois Lighthouse, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, October 13, 2008.

According to Guinness World Records, “Within the USA, the state with the most lighthouses is Michigan with approximately 130 current lighthouses along its many miles of shoreline on the Great Lakes. Historically the state may have had as many as 250 active lighthouses.”

Point Iroquois Lighthouse photographed from out in Lake Michigan. October 13, 2008.

I created a lot of images at Point Iroquois. The water was seriously cold when I waded out to created several images. I waded back to shore to warm up and waded out again. By the time I finished and waded back to shore again, my feet were turning blue.

Point Iroquois Lighthouse on a church publication.

All of the effort was worth it. This image ended up being published.

Point Iroquois Lighthouse, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, October 13, 2008.

St. Joseph Michigan Lighthouse on a stormy day. October 30, 2004.

Holland Michigan Lighthouse, May 16, 2015.

I was leading a photography workshop and this was our end of the day photo field trip location. The blurry shapes in this long exposure are the photographers. On the back of one of their cameras you can see the red light that indicates a long exposure.

“Big Red” lighthouse. Holland State Park, Michigan. May 15, 2015.

Anoush, Point Betsie Lighthouse, Michigan, July 19, 2024.

Sunset, Lake Michigan, North Pier Lighthouses. St. Joseph Michigan. July 11, 1999.

The St. Joseph Lighthouse was the closest to where I lived, and the one I photographed the most often. Two or three times a year I would make the hour long drive to St. Joseph in hopes of a nice sunset.