The Manistique lighthouse is a 35-foot steel tower painted fire engine red, parked at the end of the east breakwater where the Manistique River runs into Lake Michigan. You reach it on foot, by following the town boardwalk to the breakwater and walking until the concrete stops. It was first lit on August 17, 1916, and it is still an active aid to navigation under the U.S. Coast Guard.
It is also in private hands, sold by the federal government in 2013 to an Ohio man who had never been to Manistique. One detail worth fixing on the way out: Lighthouse Digest’s 2013 story on the sale called the tower cast iron. The Coast Guard Historian’s Office lists its construction as steel, and so do the Escanaba Daily Press and the historical marker for the light.
From lens lantern to one bid
The tower stands on a concrete block over a timber crib on bedrock, which puts its light about 50 feet above the lake by our arithmetic. It opened with a 300-millimeter lens lantern showing a fixed red light, and in 1918 a brighter fourth-order Fresnel lens replaced it. Walter Ottosen became head keeper in 1920 and stayed until 1941, the longest run of any keeper at the light.
The railroad and its car ferry at Manistique shut down in 1968, and the light was automated the following year. The Fresnel lens came out of the tower and is now on display at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc. A 12-inch acrylic optic took its place, and the light went on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
On May 15, 2012, the government offered the light to agencies and nonprofits under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. The city council voted to go after it with the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, and the plans apparently fell apart. The General Services Administration opened an online auction on June 10, 2013, and it closed July 15 with one bid: $15,000 from Bill Collins of Newbury, Ohio.
Collins wasted no time. By September 2013 Carl Behrend, a local contractor, folk singer and author, was painting the tower. It started life dark gray or black, and Collins kept the bright red it picked up at some point in the 1900s.
The walk out
The Manistique Boardwalk and River Walk runs 1.83 miles from the eastern city limits, under the US-2 bridge and into downtown, with access to the breakwater light on the way. The shortest route starts at Lakeview Park: turn off US-2 onto Marina Drive just east of the river, park by the river and follow the boardwalk out. The tower is closed to the public, so the walk is the whole visit.
Pick your day for it. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says to stay off piers and breakwaters in high winds, storms and wave action, when waves wash over the top and leave it slippery. It says most accidents near harbor structures happen from late August through December, which is now. If the lake is coming over the concrete, admire it from the boardwalk.
Manistique has form for odd engineering. Its Siphon Bridge, built across the river in 1919, had a roadway four feet below the river, which helped hold it up. That got it into Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
Go See It
Manistique East Breakwater Light, Manistique
- Hours
- No posted hours found for the boardwalk or breakwater. Tower and keepers' house closed to the public; grounds open.
- Cost
- No fee or admission listed in any source checked.
- Season
- No seasonal closure listed. Stay off the breakwater in high wind, storms or waves; USACE says most harbor-structure accidents happen late August through December.
- Drive
- From Marquette: 1 hr 31 min (90.4 mi) via US-41 S and US-2 E
From the Bridge: 1 hr 29 min (90.0 mi) via US-2 W
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Sources, credits, and reporting details
Sources & accountability
How this story was reported
Editorial methodAggregation
Last verifiedOct. 4, 2026
Corrections statusNo material correction note is recorded on this article.
AI assistanceResearched and drafted with AI tools. Reviewed and approved by editor Keegan O’Brien.
Verification note: Sources read and checked Oct. 4, 2026.
Primary sources
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
"Located at the end of a breakwater near the entrance to the Manistique River from Lake Michigan."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse: The harbor's watchful eye — Escanaba Daily Press (Sophie Vogelmann)
Published Aug. 11, 2026. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Tower is 35 feet tall and built of steel; originally dark gray or black
"The Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, originally painted dark grey or black and constructed with steel, stands 35-feet tall with a black parapet lantern room that housed a Fourth-Order Fresnel lens and a diaphone foghorn."
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The Manistique Lighthouse Historical Marker — The Historical Marker Database (marker transcription)
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
"This steel plate constructed lighthouse, painted fire engine red provides safe passage to commercial and recreational boaters. The east breakwater light stands thirty-five feet tall, and was commissioned in 1915." NOTE: marker's 'commissioned in 1915' not used; other sources give first lit Aug 17, 1916.
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse — U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: CORRECTION (primary side): tower construction is steel; square pyramidal; red with black lantern
Construction materials field: "STEEL"; tower shape: "SQUARE PYRAMIDAL"; markings: "RED W/BLACK LANTERN". (Same page lists 'Year Current Tower First Lit: 1917', which conflicts with the 1916 date in three other sources; not used.)
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Steel construction (correction corroboration)
"The tower is of riveted steel plates and angles, square in plan and pyramidal in shape, three and one-half stories high, and supports a cast-iron deck and an old-style fourth-order vertical bar lantern, whose focal plane is about 40 feet above the top of the block."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse: The harbor's watchful eye — Escanaba Daily Press
Published Aug. 11, 2026. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: First lit August 17, 1916
"Construction on the light was completed in August 1916, and the new beacon was lit for the first time on August 17 of that year."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Light moved to the new tower August 17, 1916 (corroboration)
"The east breakwater light was transferred to the new structure on August 17, 1916."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse: The harbor's watchful eye — Escanaba Daily Press
Published Aug. 11, 2026. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Privately owned and still an active aid to navigation under the U.S. Coast Guard
"While it is now privately owned, it remains an active navigation aid to commercial and recreational boaters under U.S. Coast Guard operation."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse: The harbor's watchful eye — Escanaba Daily Press
Published Aug. 11, 2026. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Owner bought it without ever having been to Manistique (sight-unseen)
"Collins purchased the lighthouse sight-unseen, as he had never been to Manistique."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
"The subfoundation for this tower consists of a timber crib built by the United States Engineers. It rests on bedrock and supports a concrete superstructure, and this in turn supports a rectangular concrete block, 20 by 25 feet in plan and 6 feet high, forming the immediate foundation for the tower. The top of this block is 10 feet above lake level." + "…whose focal plane is about 40 feet above the top of the block." CALCULATED: about 40 + 10 = about 50 feet above lake level. Text labels it 'by our arithmetic'.
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Opened with a 300-millimeter lens lantern showing a fixed red light
"A 300-millimeter lens lantern was used to produce a fixed red light of 340 candlepower at a focal plane of five feet above the lake." NOTE: the 'five feet' focal plane in this sentence conflicts with the ~40 ft above the block given elsewhere on the page; only the lens lantern and fixed red light are used.
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Fourth-order Fresnel lens replaced the lens lantern in 1918 to make the light brighter
"A fourth-order lens replaced the lens lantern in 1918, increasing the intensity of the light."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse: The harbor's watchful eye — Escanaba Daily Press
Published Aug. 11, 2026. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
"The death of the light's first keeper, Charles Corlett, in 1920 created the vacancy for a man named Walter Ottosen to transfer to Manistique as head light keeper." + "Ottosen would go on to become the longest serving keeper at the light, from 1920 to 1941."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Railroad and car ferry shut down in 1968; light automated the following year (1969)
"Both the railroad and its car ferry at Manistique ceased operation in 1968, and" … "With the decrease in shipping, Manistique Lighthouse was automated the following year." + "The station was officially disestablished as a manned unit on Augsut 30, 1969." [sic]
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse: The harbor's watchful eye — Escanaba Daily Press
Published Aug. 11, 2026. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Automated 1969; Fresnel replaced with a 12-inch acrylic optic
"As Manistique's importance as a port waned and a massive wave of lighthouse automations ensued, the east breakwater light was eventually automated in 1969, and the original Fourth Order Fresnel lens was replaced with a 12-inch (300 mm) Tidelands Signal acrylic optic, the Manistique Tourism Council reported."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Fresnel lens removed after automation, now at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc
"The keepers' dwelling was sold, and the fourth-order lens was removed from the tower. The lens can currently be seen at Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Offered May 15, 2012 under the NHLPA of 2000 to agencies and nonprofits
"On May 15, 2012, Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse was made available under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 to eligible federal, state, and local agencies, non-profit corporations, educational agencies, and community development organizations for educational, recreational, cultural, or historic preservation purposes."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
"After the Manistique City Council voted to approve working with the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy to acquire the lighthouse, a letter of interest was prepared and submitted." + "These plans apparently fell apart, as on June 10, 2013, the General Services Administration opened an online auction for the lighthouse."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Auction closed July 15, 2013 with one bid of $15,000 from Bill Collins
"The auction closed on July 15, 2013, with only one bid of $15,000 having been submitted by Bill Collins"
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse: The harbor's watchful eye — Escanaba Daily Press
Published Aug. 11, 2026. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Bill Collins is from Newbury, Ohio; single $15,000 bid; auction opened June 10, 2013 (corroboration)
"On June 10, 2013, the General Services Administration opened an online auction for the lighthouse." + "The auction closed just over one month later, with only one bid of $15,000 having been submitted by Bill Collins of Newbury, Ohio."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Carl Behrend, local contractor, folk singer and author, painting the tower in September 2013
"Collins wasted no time in making improvements to the lighthouse, as Carl Behrend, a local contractor, folk singer, and author, was busy painting the lighthouse in September 2013."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse: The harbor's watchful eye — Escanaba Daily Press
Published Aug. 11, 2026. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Originally dark gray or black; painted red at some point in the 1900s; Collins kept the bright red
"Although the lighthouse was painted red at some point during the 1900s, Collins chose to restore its bright-red color rather than return it to its original dark gray or black."
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Manistique Boardwalk Historical Marker — The Historical Marker Database (marker transcription)
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
"The Manistique Boardwalk and River Walk extends 1.83 miles from thebeastern city limits passing under the US-2 bridge into the downtown district. The boardwalk offers its users a fishing pier, access to the east breakwater light, picnic grounds, and abundant nature and wildlife to enjoy." [sic, 'thebeastern' is the transcription's typo]
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
"From Highway 2 just east of the river in Manistique, turn towards the river on Marina Drive to enter Lakeview Park. Park in the lot adjacent to the river and follow the boardwalk to the east breakwater at the end of which you will find Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Tower and keepers' dwelling privately owned and closed; grounds open
"The lighthouse and keepers' dwelling are privately owned. Grounds open, dwelling/tower closed"
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse: The harbor's watchful eye — Escanaba Daily Press
Published Aug. 11, 2026. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Tower interior closed to the public (corroboration)
"A black staircase stands at the pier, climbing several feet to a door at the bottom of the tower, though the inside is closed to the public today."
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Stay off piers, breakwaters during high winds, storms, wave action — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District
Published Oct. 30, 2018. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Headline: "Stay off piers, breakwaters during high winds, storms, wave action" + "Weather conditions during this time can cause waves to wash over the top of structures, creating slippery surfaces"
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Stay off piers, breakwaters during high winds, storms, wave action — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District
Published Oct. 30, 2018. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Most accidents near harbor structures happen late August through December
"Most accidents and incidents near harbor structures occur during the turbulent weather season from late August through December"
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The Historic Bridges of Manistique — Schoolcraft County Historical Society
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
"The iconic Siphon Bridge was built across the Manistique River in 1919" + "The roadway itself was four feet below the river, which assisted in supporting the bridge" + "it was listed in Ripley's Believe It Or Not."
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Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse, Michigan — Lighthousefriends.com
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: GPS 45.94476, -86.24766
"Latitude: 45.94476, Longitude: -86.24766"
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Google Maps directions, Marquette to Manistique East Breakwater Light, Manistique — Google Maps
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Drive time from Marquette
Fastest route read live Oct 4, 2026: 1 hr 31 min (90.4 mi) via US-41 S and US-2 E.
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Google Maps directions, Mackinac Bridge to Manistique East Breakwater Light, Manistique — Google Maps
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Drive time from Mackinac Bridge
Fastest route read live Oct 4, 2026: 1 hr 29 min (90.0 mi) via US-2 W.
Additional reporting
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New Owner Brightens Up Manistique — Lighthouse Digest
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: CORRECTION (other coverage): Lighthouse Digest's 2013 story called the tower cast iron
"The 35-foot tall square pyramidal cast iron Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse was built in the early 1900s" (Nov/Dec 2013 issue)
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Manistique East Breakwater Light — Wikipedia
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Focal height cross-check for the ~50 ft calculation
Infobox: "Focal height 15 m (49 ft)". Consistent with the calculated ~50 ft.
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New Owner Brightens Up Manistique — Lighthouse Digest
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Lens location corroboration
"After automation, the Fresnel lens was removed from the tower and is now on display at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc." (Nov/Dec 2013)
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Manistique East Breakwater Light History Uncovered — Northern Michigan History
Published May. 2, 2026. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005
"earning a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005"
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Manistique East Breakwater Light — Wikipedia
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: NRHP listing 2005 (corroboration)
Infobox: NRHP listed September 6, 2005, reference No. 05000980
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Published May. 24, 2025. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
Supports: Breakwater is a concrete path reached from the boardwalk
"an iconic red lighthouse at the end of a concrete path that extends far into Lake Michigan, which can be accessed via the boardwalk"
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East Breakwater Light — Manistique Tourism Council
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026.
"Year First Lit: 1916" + "Automated: 1969" + "the new light was lit on August 17, 1916" + "The East Breakwater Lighthouse, built in 1916, is 35 feet tall"
Photo and media credits
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Manistique Light House (media 4062) — Wikimedia Commons / Nuggehalli2015
Featured image record. Accessed Oct. 4, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Image credit and licence.
Commons file page metadata read Oct 4, 2026: licence CC BY-SA 4.0, author Nuggehalli2015. Original 5760×3840; uploaded at 2560×1707 (downscaled, not cropped). Placement: featured. Image viewed before use; it shows the place named in the caption.
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Manistique Michigan aerial view (media 4063) — Wikimedia Commons / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026. Public domain.
Supports: Image credit and licence.
Commons file page metadata read Oct 4, 2026: licence Public domain, author U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Original 1500×1053; uploaded at 1500×1053. Placement: image_2. Image viewed before use; it shows the place named in the caption.
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Manistique, Michigan lighthouse sunset storm 1 (media 4064) — Wikimedia Commons / The ed17
Accessed Oct. 4, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Image credit and licence.
Commons file page metadata read Oct 4, 2026: licence CC BY-SA 4.0, author The ed17. Original 3264×1836; uploaded at 2560×1440 (downscaled, not cropped). Placement: image_3. Image viewed before use; it shows the place named in the caption.
