Re-lighting South Manitou

By Jacob Wheeler
Sun editor
Half a century after the lighthouse on South Manitou Island went dark, the 104-foot-high landmark will soon illuminate the treacherous waters of the Manitou Passage once again.
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (the local branch of the National Park Service) has teamed up with the Manitou Island Memorial Society and Manitou Island Transit (which ferries passengers from Leland to South Manitou) to restore the historic lighthouse and give it an exact replica of the Fresnel Lens that remained lit until 1958.

According to Lakeshore Assistant Superintendent Tom Ulrich, the project has almost reached a critical mass. The lens is tentatively scheduled to be installed during the first weekend in September.
Mike Grosvenor of Manitou Island Transit approached the Lakeshore several years ago and convinced local officials to apply for a grant from the National Park Service (NPS) because the estimated cost of the project was prohibitively high. The NPS approved the grant but only agreed to pay half of the cost, leaving the other half of the $93,000 bill to the Memorial Society, the Manitou Island Transit, the web portal Leelanau.com, and other philanthropists.
Memorial Society president Rhonda Kruch told the Leelanau Enterprise in early August that, “pretty much most of the money has been raised but we still need to recoup some of the money.”
According to the Enterprise, Artworks Florida is building the 5 -foot lens replica, and Electro-Optics Technology Inc. in Traverse City is providing the light. Otherwise, the lighthouse itself is ready to go. The walls have been whitewashed, the cast iron stairs painted, new glass windows installed, and a power wire run to the top of the perch. All that remains to turn back the clock is the light itself.
The lighthouse on South Manitou Island, which is part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and open to campers, will remain lit during the tourist season, from May until October. The light will be visible from the western shore of Leelanau County, within 12 miles of the island, and to the amateur eye the light will resemble the one that went dark 50 years ago. But in this high-tech age, freighters and other ships using the Manitou Passage will no longer use the lighthouse as a guide.
Look for more coverage of the re-lit South Manitou Island lighthouse, and fabulous pictures by Andy McFarlane of Absolute Michigan, in the September 18 issue of the Glen Arbor Sun. Visit our online archives at www.glenarborsun.com, as well, for features on the islands including “Remembering a childhood on South Manitou Island,” “A boatwatcher’s guide to the Manitou Passage,” “An afternoon drive on South Manitou Island,” and “Mysteries, madness and intrigue of the Manitou Passage.”