Captain John's Custom Photos & Framing

Michigan Lighthouses - White River Light Station, South Whitehall Michigan


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Watercolor Print
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Color Photograph
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Color Photograph
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Color Photograph
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Constructed of local limestone and brick, White River Lighthouse was built in 1875 near the town of Whitehall, on Lake Michigan's eastern shoreline. Originally established to guide lumber schooners through the channel to White Lake, it later lighted the way for passenger steam ships. The light was decommissioned in 1941.

By the close of the civil war, lumbering in Michigan's Muskegon/White Lake area was in full swing. Shipping over the Great Lakes was the primary means of transporting this lumber. Lighthouses, such as this one, played a key role in Great Lakes commerce by serving as essential guides through these dangerous and stormy "Inland Seas".

The Lighthouse, now a museum, is owned and operated by Fruitland Township. It contains artifacts of Great Lakes origin and information on the history of the White Lake Area.


Go back to the Michigan Lighthouses index page