Mission Point Light is a lighthouse located in Michigan at the end of Old Mission Point, a peninsula jutting into Grand Traverse Bay north of Traverse City. It was built in 1870 as an exact copy of the Mama Juda Light (now destroyed), which was built on the Detroit River in 1866.

The foundation is natural and emplaced. The wooden structure is painted white with black trim. The square tower is attached to a dwelling.

A fixed white Fifth Order Fresnel lens was installed. The building was only one and a half stories tall. However, its placement on a sand bank 14 feet above the lake's surface created a lens focal plane of . It was visible from at sea. It has been an ongoing struggle to maintain the dune and protect it and the lighthouse from erosion.

The light served to warn mariners about the shoals off the point for 63 years. It was a working lighthouse from 1870 to 1933, when it was decommissioned. However, new techniques in offshore construction and the automation of lighthouse illumination made it possible to build a navigation aid on the shoal itself. In 1938, work was completed for the new stationary buoy light in of water, about northwest of Mission Point. The light runs on batteries. It is on a tall tower, and its focal plane of makes it visible for . It has a 30-second dwell time between flashes, in order to conserve power. There are a pair of signs that denote its location on the parallel, one of 29 places in the U.S. with such signs.

Current status and activities

The lighthouse is located in Old Mission State Park, which is managed by Peninsula Township as Lighthouse Park at the northern end of Highway M-37. Visitors to the park enjoy the beach, hiking trails, and picnic areas. The park welcomes about 100,000 visitors annually from every state and dozens of foreign countries.

The lighthouse society sought volunteers to work and live in the Mission Point Light during 2008. There is a fee, which benefits the light.

In 2008, the building opened for the first time to the public with a small museum after serving for many years as the park manager's residence.

The Old Mission Peninsula is said to be a premier place to sea kayak.

Mission Point is visited by about 100,000 people annually.

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File:Missionpoint.jpg|Vintage image of the lighthouse

File:Mission Point Light 35mm.jpg|The lighthouse from the beach in August 2023

File:Old Mission Light sign 08-04-98.jpg|Sign adjacent to the lighthouse

File:OldMission-MI-lighthouse.jpg|Rear of the lighthouse in July 2006

File:Mission Point Light.jpg|The lighthouse in winter of 2009

File:Mission Point Light (8740757835).jpg|The lighthouse from the water in July 2010

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See also

  • Lighthouses in the United States

References

Bibliography

  • Bibliography on Michigan lighthouses.
  • Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein, The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses (2002) ; .
  • Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan. The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995. .
  • Jones, Ray & Bruce Roberts, American Lighthouses (Globe Pequot, September 1, 1998, 1st Ed.) ; .
  • Jones, Ray,The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference (Globe Pequot, January 1, 2004, 1st ed.) ; .
  • Noble, Dennis, Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy (Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997). ; .
  • Oleszewski, Wes, Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) .
  • Penrod, John, Lighthouses of Michigan, (Berrien Center, Michigan: Penrod/Hiawatha, 1998) .
  • Penrose, Laurie and Bill, A Traveler's Guide to 116 Michigan Lighthouses (Petoskey, Michigan: Friede Publications, 1999).
  • Putnam, George R., Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
  • United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation, (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
  • Wagner, John L., Michigan Lighthouses: An Aerial Photographic Perspective, (East Lansing, Michigan: John L. Wagner, 1998) .
  • Wargin, Ed, Legends of Light: A Michigan Lighthouse Portfolio (Ann Arbor Media Group, 2006). .
  • Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) .
  • Aerial photos, Old Mission Point Light, marinas.com.
  • Detroit News, Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses.