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Guiding Ships and Monarch Butterflies At the southern tip of the Stonington Peninsula, where the waters of Big Bay de Noc, Little Bay de Noc, and Green Bay meet, stands one of Michigan’s most scenic and historically significant lighthouse sites. The Peninsula Point Lighthouse once served as a critical navigational aid for vessels traveling the busy shipping routes of northern Lake Michigan. Today, although its light no longer shines across the water, the lighthouse remains a beloved landmark. In addition, it is now an unexpected destination for another group of travelers: thousands of migrating monarch butterflies. Its story combines maritime… Read More »

The Lighthouse with Two Towers Far out in northern Lake Michigan, South Fox Island rises from the water as one of the most remote places in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. For generations of mariners navigating the waters between Green Bay, the Manitou Passage, and the Straits of Mackinac, the island served as an important landmark and a vital navigational aid. Today, South Fox Island Light Station is unusual among Great Lakes lighthouses because it has two towers standing side by side in its history. One is the original nineteenth century lighthouse, while the other is a towering steel skeletal structure that… Read More »