Marquette Harbor Lighthouse

The iconic Marquette Harbor Lighthouse, built in 1866, is one of three lights marking the busy Marquette, MI harbor. The other two are pierhead lights at the end of long breakwaters. During my August visit, we were blessed with sunny skies with only a few scattered clouds.

Although I’ve photographed this lighthouse in the past, I wanted to revisit it because last year the Coast Guard relinquished ownership of the lighthouse, and it is now open to the public for tours conducted by the adjacent Marquette Maritime Museum. Presently, only the first floor, the “Evinrude Room,” and the catwalk are included on the tour. The first floor rooms have not been furnished yet; that’s coming. The tower is also off limits.

A former lower-level storage room now contains a display of antique Evinrude outboard motors. Our tour guide, Craig said that the Evinrude motor was invented in Marquette, and a descendant of the company’s founder lives in Michigamme, a small U.P. town west of Marquette.