Point Iroquois Light

Guardian of the St. Marys River

Point Iroquois Light sits high on a bluff in Chippewa County, quietly watching over one of the most important waterways in the Great Lakes. It marks the division between Whitefish Bay and the western end of the St. Marys River. For more than a century, this lighthouse has guided vessels traveling between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. Today, its story blends Native history, early European exploration, and the evolution of Great Lakes navigation.

A Place Steeped in Early History

Point Iroquois refers not only to the lighthouse but also to a broader geographic area rich in history. A tragic event in 1662 gave the point its name, after Ojibwe warriors killed a group of Iroquois there. Native Algonkian people called the area Nadouenigoning, combining the words Nadone (Iroquois) and Akron (bone), a somber reminder of the site’s past.

In 1620, French explorers Étienne Brûlé and Grenoble became the first recorded Europeans to reach the area. From that point forward, Point Iroquois served as a familiar landmark for French explorers, fur traders, and missionaries navigating the region. Nearby Sault Ste. Marie later became the first permanent European settlement in what is now Michigan.

The First Point Iroquois Lighthouse

As shipping traffic increased on the St. Marys River, mariners needed reliable navigation aids. In 1853, Congress appropriated $5,000 for a lighthouse at Point Iroquois, coinciding with construction of the first Soo Locks.

Workers built the original lighthouse between 1855 and 1856. The 45-foot rubble stone tower featured a wooden lantern deck and entered service on June 18, 1856, displaying a flashing white fourth-order Fresnel lens. Positioned on the highest ground at the point, the light reached a focal plane of 63 feet and remained visible from 10 nautical miles away. A keeper’s dwelling stood nearby, and the Lighthouse Service staffed the station full-time. Notably, builders used this structure as a near twin to the St. Martin Reef Light.

The Second and Current Lighthouse

To make way for the structure that still stands today, crews tore down the original lighthouse and keeper’s quarters in 1870. Builders completed the new lighthouse at a cost of approximately $18,000, giving it a white brick, Cape Cod–style design.

For 93 continuous years, the 65-foot tower guided ships safely in and out of the Soo Locks. Records place its focal plane between 68 and 72 feet above the water. Over time, the lighthouse and its accompanying buildings became familiar visual landmarks for the nearby lumber community of Brimley.

Life and Work at the Light Station

Point Iroquois once operated as a bustling complex. In 1885, workers added a bell tower equipped with a Stevens automatic bell striker. Five years later, the station replaced it with a fog signal building housing steam whistles. By 1926, powerful Type F diaphone fog horns took over fog warning duties.

In 1905, the Lighthouse Service expanded the station with a two-story addition to the keeper’s quarters, creating space for a third keeper. At its busiest, the station employed a head keeper and two assistant keepers. The grounds included barns, a chicken house, a boathouse, an oil house, a well house, and even a small school attended by the children of keepers and local fishermen.

Deactivation and Preservation

The Coast Guard deactivated Point Iroquois Light in 1962 and replaced it with the Canadian-operated Gros Cap Reefs Light, an unmanned beacon in the St. Marys River channel. Although the light no longer actively guides ships, its historical importance never faded.

In 1993, crews completed a full renovation of the lighthouse and keeper’s quarters. The original Fresnel lens, removed in 1963, now resides at the Smithsonian Institution. Today, visitors can view a fourth-order Fresnel lens from Martin Reef Light inside the keeper’s house.

Point Iroquois Light Today

Today, Point Iroquois Light operates as a marine museum within the Hiawatha National Forest and stands as one of Michigan’s most iconic lighthouses. The Bay Mills/Brimley Historical Research Society oversees restoration and preservation efforts. The group leases the site and continues to share its story with visitors.

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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.