DeTour Reef Light: Gateway to Lake Superior

A Key Michigan Lighthouse

The DeTour Passage is a vital route to Lake Superior from Lake Huron. Sitting three miles south of DeTour Village, Michigan, the DeTour Reef Light marks this important shipping channel. Nearly all freighters traveling to and from Lake Superior pass through this passage, along with countless recreational boats carefully navigating the shallow DeTour Reef.

Early History: From Point DeTour to Offshore Reef

The first lighthouse at Point DeTour was built in 1847. It protected mariners from the hazards of the passage. By 1931, the lighthouse was moved offshore atop DeTour Reef on a crib foundation. Constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the 83-foot concrete and steel structure took 327 working days to complete at a cost of $140,000. Its “Art Deco” style and design similarities to nearby reef lights like Martin Reef, Poe Reef, and Fourteen Foot Shoal demonstrate a tradition of efficient Great Lakes lighthouse construction.

Lighthouse Lenses Through the Ages

The DeTour Reef Light has used several types of lenses over its 160-year history:

1848: 13 Argand lamps produced a fixed white light, conserving whale oil.
1857: 4th-order Fresnel lens installed.
1870: 3rd-order Fresnel lens replaced the original.
1908: Rare 3½-order Fresnel lens flashed white light, visible for 30 miles; now on display at the DeTour Passage Historical Museum.
Today: Modern Vega VRB-25 optic system ensures safe navigation through the passage.

DeTour Passage: A Dangerous Route for Ships

There is a shoal with waters as shallow as 23 feet at the southern entrance to DeTour Passage. The DeTour Reef makes passage hazardous. The lighthouse has guided mariners safely through these treacherous waters for decades. In 1909, the iron package freighter Russia sank 12 miles off the lighthouse, highlighting the dangers of Great Lakes navigation. The station’s F-2-T diaphone fog signal, now preserved, remains an important piece of maritime history.

Preservation Efforts: Saving a Michigan Lighthouse

In 1997, the Coast Guard declared DeTour Reef Light “excess,” prompting the creation of the DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society (DRLPS) in 1998. Over the next several years, the nonprofit raised $1.2 million, obtained grants, and completed a major restoration in 2004. In 2005, ownership officially transferred to DRLPS. Today, the lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the “DeTour Reef Light Station” (NRHP #05000151). It remains a model of successful historic preservation.

A Symbol of Great Lakes Maritime Heritage

DeTour Reef Light is not just a beacon, it is a symbol of Northern Michigan maritime history. From whale-oil lamps to automated modern optics, it continues to guide vessels safely through the gateway to Lake Superior, embodying human ingenuity and dedication to safe Great Lakes navigation.

Detour Reef Light Station Historical Marker

Two World Wars and the Depression (1915-1945) – Registered in 2013 and erected in 2013 – ID #L2252

Located 4 miles West of DeTour Village, along M-134, DeTour Village, Detour Township – Lat: 45.96492000 / Long: -83.99190000

Located where the St. Mary’s River enters Lake Huron from Lake Superior, DeTour Passage separates the Upper Peninsula from Drummond Island. It has long been a choke point for Great Lakes shipping. Anticipating increased traffic as a result of the locks planned at Sault Ste. Marie, the U.S. Lighthouse Service built an onshore light station on Point DeTour in 1848. As vessels grew in size, DeTour Reef, which extends a mile from Point DeTour in twenty feet of water, became a greater shipping hazard. In 1929, the Lighthouse Service decided to replace the onshore light with a station atop the reef. DeTour Reef Light Station is one of only six reef light stations in Michigan.

Located four miles southeast of here, the DeTour Reef Light Station was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1931. The 1861 tower, Fresnel lens and lantern assembly were moved from the Point DeTour Light Station. The new station housed resident keepers, equipment and supplies in three stories. The tower rises more than eighty feet above the water and sits atop a forty-one-foot-high wood crib and concrete pier resting on DeTour Reef. The Coast Guard automated the station in 1974 and excessed it in 1997. The DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society, established in 1998, restored the station in 2004, opened it to visitors in 2005, and took ownership in 2010.

Start planning your trip today and explore the legacy of Michigan’s maritime history!

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Marisa Fancy along with her husband and four children dreamt of moving “Up North”. They had vacationed for years in northern Michigan and in 1995 they finally made the move.

The family was always out exploring, but with 4 kids there was some limitations on what they could do. Marisa discovered the amazing network of trails in Northern Michigan after Steve died and she would walk for miles. The trails provided her with peace, comfort and solitude at a difficult time in her life. Later, after meeting Guy who would become her second husband, she learned to golf and found another passion she could enjoy in beautiful Northern Michigan.

Marisa has been the family historian, writer, and poet for as long as she can remember. She has always loved to write and has now found a creative outlet for it other than family. You can read her articles in Adventures in Northern Michigan, Northern Michigan History and Golf Up North.