MICHIGAN—Point Iroquois Lighthouse is one of the most popular and prominent destinations on Hiawatha National Forest, and the historic and economically important structure is getting a major renovation thanks to $450,000 in Great American Outdoors Act funds.

Of the five lighthouses on the Hiawatha, Point Iroquois is by far the most visited, drawing up to 50,000 people every year. Part of what makes Point Iroquois so popular is its particularly rich history.

The point itself was named by the Indigenous Anishinaabe people, who repelled an invading Iroquois war party in 1662. And for centuries, sailors and missionaries used the point as a landmark. After copper and iron ore were discovered in the area, the original lighthouse was built in 1855 to guide merchant ships moving in and out of the area.

The first lighthouse operated until 1870, when the wooden building was torn down and replaced with the brick structure that still stands today. The new light guided ships until 1963, when the U.S. Coast Guard deactivated it because an automated light off the coast of Ontario made it unnecessary. The USDA Forest Service acquired the historic structure the following year and has been maintaining it ever since.

However, maintaining a lighthouse is no small task, so the Hiawatha regularly enlists the help of outside partners like YouthWork, HistoriCorps, and the Bay Mills Indian Community.

“We could contract and get the same end result, but we want to not just fix the lighthouse; we want the public to be involved in the process,” said Eric Drake, an archaeologist with the Hiawatha. “This is historic preservation on public lands. I like to say that instead of just stabilizing and restoring a building, we are also building community as we do it.”

But this summer’s project of restoring the 65-foot tower to its original glory is perhaps the most ambitious endeavor yet. Workers removed and replaced the existing paint, then treated the 19th-century masonry to protect it from the elements and keep the tower standing proud for many years to come.

“This is a project that has been years in the making, and I don’t know how we could have done it without the GAOA funding,” said Hiawatha Forest Supervisor Mary Moore. “Eric and his crew have been planning for the last five years, rounding up volunteers and getting materials and supplies in place, so having that funding is critical to the success of this project.”

HistoriCorps Project Supervisor Erin Crooks worked at Point Iroquois in 2021, and she said she jumped at the chance to revisit the historic and scenic site.

“You really couldn’t ask for a better partner than the Forest Service,” said Crooks. “I feel like everybody I’ve met has been really welcoming. I remember last year, some guy had come through from the casino and was so excited that he wanted to give us his casino winnings to buy treats for the volunteers, so obviously people from the community are really excited to have somebody working on the lighthouse. Even the visitors have been really excited.”

“The Forest Service has been great,” said Zac McLeod, a YouthWork crew leader and third-year YouthWork member. “Working with them has been always fun. I mean, the people are great, and it’s great when people come back, and you remember who everybody is and vice versa.”

In summer 2022, the Hiawatha National Forest began a partnership with the Bay Mills Indian Community to operate the attached museum in order share both maritime and tribal histories.

Candice LeBlanc of the Bay Mills Indian Community stepped into the role of museum director, and she said the partnership between the Forest Service and the Bay Mills Indian Community has fostered new connections, not just between the two entities, but also with the community as a whole.

“Since coming on here, I’ve established great relationships with the U.S. Forest Service staff that oversees the lighthouse,” said LeBlanc. “We manage it together; it’s a cooperative relationship. It’s been an adventure and it’s been really, really exciting. I feel like being able to come here and share the history of our ancestors and to connect that way and allow others to experience and be a part of our culture and to understand it and to leave here more enlightened—it’s a really big honor, and I’m excited that I get to be a part of it.”

Point Iroquois Lighthouse is one of the Hiawatha’s most cherished landmarks, and thanks to the Great American Outdoors Act, it will still be here for generations to come.