Grand Island North Lighthouse

Situated atop a 175 foot cliff on Grand Island's north end, this lighthouse has been identified as the highest lighthouse above sea level in the United States.  Originally built of wood in 1856, this remote lighthouse was a key navigational marker during the trading boom that followed completion of the Soo Locks in 1855.  With an ideal safe harbor in the bay on the island's lee side, Grand Island had long been a primary stopping place for Native Americans, traders and others plying Lake Superior's south shore.  In 1867, the already-deteriorated wooden lighthouse was replaced with the current brick lighthouse, consisting of a simple brick keeper's house and a 40 foot tower.  The light was automated in 1941.