Livin' out here on "The Leelanau": The Road Wearier 1978. The Grand Traverse Lighthouse

[Stir Young]

I take a bicycle ride out the the Grand Traverse Lighthouse quite often. Its located at the very tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, in the Leelanau State Park. The lighthouse is administered by a non profit group under a lease with the Sate of Michigan.

 

 

For reference, here's a picture that I've posted before. Its the entrance to my subdivision. The road heading toward the top of the picture is due north. That's the route to the lighthouse.

 

 

I've posted this picture before also, but here I am at the entrance. Lets go in and take a look at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse.

 

 

See the tower between two branches?

 

 

The red brick structure in the foreground is the oil house. All flammable liquids were stored here, historically, and we still use it to store gas cans, propane tanks, oils and solvents. A couple of days ago I got a five gallon can of gasoline out of there to fill the lawn mower, and a guy walked up and asked me if I was gonna fill the light. Uh, the light has been powered by electricity for at least seventy years now. We get a lot of pretty dumb questions here.

 

 

Here's a view from the shoreline. Back when the light was located in the tower, all this vegetation was kept trimmed very short.

 

 

The automated electric light is now located on the top of this steel tower.

 

 

The building in the front was a three car garage and workshop, and I believe built in the early 1950s. It now houses the gift shop and educational room.

 

 

Here's my office! Actually the riding mower is stored here. I like the traditional style of this building. I've seen several people take pictures of it.

 

 

And finally, here's the Fog Signal Building. A lot of the restoration was done on this in the 1990s, and the gift shop was once located here.

 

 

 

 

[Northport Newbie]

Did Marilyn put that sign on your office??

[D. D. Olson]

I love the picture of the tower through the vegetation.