GeoCities.com/ Invizzible Hamlin's Online Reporter Paul Stalter, Webmaster Bringing Mason County to your fingertips! My unique and exclusive presentation, including satellite images and aerial photos, of Hamlin Township. Satellite Images Start Page Hamlin Lake State Park Dam State Park Outlet Big Point Sauble Lighthouse Carferries of Ludington Pumped Storage Project Sargent Sand Company Epworth Heights Mason County Airport Dow Chemical Train Depot Ludington High School Oriole Field Nordhouse Elementary Jebavy Bridge Lincoln Bridge Victory Park Partridge Pointe Laman's Landing Sauble Resort Barnhart's Resort Tamarac Community Pentwater Bass Lake Assorted My Neighborhood Heart of Hamlin Township My House Impact Crater My Mile of Jebavy Hamlin Township Hall Hamlin Township Fire Department Hamlin Grocery Oddities Visible only by satellite Impact Crater Peace Symbol Terrestrial Navigation

Hamlin Township - Ludington - Mason County, Michigan Sitemap Big Sauble Point Lighthouse Contact Image courtesy of TerraServer. Called Grande Pointe au Sable by French explorers and traders, Big Sable Point was an important landmark for mariners traveling a treacherous stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline between Big Sable Point and present-day Ludington. In 1855 twelve ships wrecked in that area. Commerce linked to the burgeoning lumber industry required Big Sable Point be suitably lighted. State Senator Charles Mears pressed the legislature to ask the federal government for a light station at Big Sable. In 1866 the U.S. Congress appropriated $35,000 for a lighthouse, which was built the following year. As the lumbering era waned, steamers carrying coal, food and tourists continued to rely on the lighthouse for navigation. The Big Sauble Point Lighthouse was constructed in 1867 with a tower measuring 112 feet. In 1902, 35 years later, the brick tower, then deteriorating, was encased in steel. The keeper's dwelling, which was once a single family housing, has been enlarged over the years, evolving into the present three-family residence. Indoor plumbing, heating and a diesel electric generator were added in 1949. In 1953 power lines were extended to the Point. In 1966 the tradition of light-keeping, which began in 1867 by Alonzo A. Hyde and his wife Laura, ended when the station was fully automated. Big Sauble Point Light Station is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Image courtesy of TerraServer. People often ask me why, when I refer to the lighthouse, I spell it Sauble one time and Sable the next time. Even though I risk getting nasty e-mails from people who insist on one spelling over the other, I'd like to point out that either spelling is correct. While doing research for this page, I got just as many search results by querying either spelling. Even historians spell it both Ways. Photo Gallery Big Sauble Point Lighthouse Photo Credits: D. Vandervelde, 8/25/2002. Views From the Top Big Sauble Lighthouse Aerial Photos Photo Credits: Peggy Sue Swiecki Visit Peggy Sue's WebShots gallery! Related Page: Ludington State Park Dam How does my site rank with other Mason County websites? Search WWW Search Yahoo! Use my Google search box to search Hamlin Township, Ludington, or Mason County! (Example: Epworth Heights, Hamlin Lake, Sargent Sand, Ludington Pumped Storage Project) Design and Graphics Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Invizzible PC. All Rights Reserved.