1867: $18,000 are granted by Congress for the construction of the lighthouse on South Fox Island. Nov. 1, 1867, the light, equipped with a flashing red 4th order Fresnel lens, is lit by first lighthouse keeper, Henry J. Roe. The keeper's salary is $150.00 per quarter.
The height of the tower from the base to the focal plane of the lantern is 39 feet. The revolving red light is 68 feet above lake level.

  1880: To keep drifting sand and snow out, Keeper Willis Warner builds a board fence around the light station, 320 ft long and 5 ft high.

  1890: New landing docks are built, consisting of sunk cribs. The old boat house is moved closer to the docks.

  1892: Keeper Louis Bourisseau builds about 600 running feet of wooden walkways, 2 ft wide, connecting the buildings.

  1895: After five years of delaying the project, a fog signal building, consisting of wooden frames covered with planks and corrugated iron outside and smooth sheet iron inside, is erected and a 10 inch steam whistle fog signal is put in operation. A brick oil house is built with a capacity of 360 gallons of kerosene for the new lantern that replaces the old lard oil lantern.

  1897: A new boat house is built.

  1898: A well for supplying the fog signal is dug and a pump house is built over it. New wooden walkways were built to connect the new boat house and the well house to the existing walkways. A new dock including a derrick are built next to the new boat house. A wood frame assistant keepers dwelling (five rooms for two keepers) is built southeast of the lighthouse.
This must have been a foggy year: According to the annual report of the Lighthouse Board, the fog signal was in operation some 581 hours (in normal years 250 - 350 hours) and consumed about 42 cords of wood and 43 tons of coal.

  1900: A steam launch replaces the open sailing skiff that had served as the station's official craft.

  1905: A second well is sunk east-northeast of the one dug in 1898.

  1906: A post office is built at the Plank farm on the southeastern side of South Fox.

  1907: The District Inspector's survey of the light station states that the light is fixed red, varied by red flash every two minutes.

  1910: The wooden assistant keepers dwelling is replaced with a red brick building. Its design is very similar to the one of the keepers dwelling on North Manitou Island. It has indoor plumbing, quite a luxury in those days. Roughly the same time the yellow bricks of the tower are painted white. (Some sources say they were coated with white bricks as an additional protection from the elements.)

  1911: The island's post office is closed. Mail is delivered only once or twice a month.

  1915: Deer are introduced on the island.

  1916: The intensity of the light is increased.

  1920s: Farming on the island is abandoned.

  1929: The light is changed from oil vapor to electricity, provided by generators. The steam fog signal is replaced with an air diaphone signal, in certain sources called a "typhon signal."

  1933: The light tower on Sapelo Island, Georgia, a square pyramidal cast iron skeletal tower of the 'Sanibel' class, erected in 1905, is disassembled and the components are shipped to South Fox Island.

  1934: Workers from Northport reassemble the skeletal tower from Sapelo Island on the southern tip of South Fox Island, southwest of the old lighthouse, closer to the shoreline.

  1939: The US Lighthouse Service becomes part of the US Coast Guard.

  1958: The light station is converted to an automatic light. Allen Pearson Cain, the last lightkeeper of South Fox, leaves the island.

  1959: The last crew leaves the light station. The equipment of the lantern room including the 4th order Fresnel lens of the old (1867) tower is moved to Old Presque Ile Light on Lake Huron to replace the vandalized lantern of that light station.

  1962: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) introduces more deer to island.

  1968: The automatic light system is shut down. Electronic navigation has rendered it obsolete.

  1971: The U.S. Department of Interior transfers the southernmost 115 acres to the DNR for public park and recreation "in perpetuity."

  1978: A report by the DNR Waterways Division states the agency's goals for the site:
"Waterways Division acquired this property with the idea of developing it in the future as a harbor of refuge. Such a facility would accommodate the boater with a rustic and historical surrounding. The historical significance of the island could be used to advantage with tours through the buildings and area... The deed of the property charged us with certain responsibilities. One is to protect an ancient gravesite from desecration... The property was obtained from the U.S. Government for public purposes... Our biggest problem at this time is to provide minimum maintenance to the property in order to preserve and protect it until a harbor is developed."
The harbor of refuge project was later dropped, but the rest of the goals actually still apply.

  1980: The U.S. Department of Interior transfers the lighthouse and grounds to the State of Michigan.

  1984: A first clean-up of the light station site, initiated by the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District (TBAISD) Youth Employment and organized and supervised by Bradley Boese, is done by 10 members of the Michigan Youth Corp. Click here to read Brad's excellent report, taken from the now defunct Web site of the Fox Island Education Association by Cathy Allchin.

  1994: David V. Johnson purchases North Fox Island after another party proposed building a $100 million, 642-unit luxury housing project on the island. "I couldn't stand by and watch North Fox Island be destroyed," Johnson told the TC Record-Eagle.

  1995: The Natural Resources Commission announces it is considering the acquisition of North Fox in a trade with Johnson, who also owns two thirds of South Fox. Johnson has proposed trading the entire 832 acres on North Fox to the state in exchange for the remaining third of South Fox, which the state owns. Total land in public ownership is 1,140 acres.

  1996: The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians opposes the proposal, citing ancestral ties to the island, a tribal cemetery, and treaty rights to hunt, fish and gather vegetation on public land in areas its ancestors ceded to the U.S. governments in an 1836 treaty. DNR's district office opposes the swap, saying South Fox is more important than North Fox for ecological reasons, public recreation and accessibility.

  1997: Maybe in view of much public opposition, the DNR rejects Johnson's swap proposal. Instead, DNR director K.L. Cool says the state wants to buy North Fox. In December, the state's Natural Resources Trust Fund approves purchase of North Fox for $2 million to use it as a natural area open to public access and for ecological research.

  2000: The Grand Traverse Band offers to take ownership of the south tip of South Fox Island, including the former light station. The federal government rejects the proposal, citing the 1949 Federal Lands to Parks law, which does not mention tribes as possible recipients.
A request is filed by the DNR to allow a road to be built through critical dune land on South Fox. As the state says, the road is needed to make repairs to the light station. The state doesn't plan to do the repairs, though. According to the land swap draft, Johnson will have to restore and maintain the lighthouse. Opponents fear that the road would just be used to link Johnson's house to the lighthouse and the southern beach area.

  2001: Despite strong opposition from a standing-room-only crowd at a meeting, the Leelanau Township Planning Commission recommends that the Leelanau Township Board not oppose the special exception permit for the construction of the road on the island. The DEQ can't issue the permit unless the township approves.
The Michigan United Conservation Club Region 1V board adopts a resolution opposing the land swap. The swap also is opposed by various associations. In March, the Leelanau Township Board votes to oppose the road permit, which leaves the whole swap up in the air.
In September, the DNR bans hunting on the southernmost 115 acres of South Fox to prevent vandalism of the historic lighthouse.
In December, the DNR and Johnson eventually reach a swap agreement that does not include the 115 acres transferred to the state in the 1970s. The Grand Traverse Band files a lawsuit against David Johnson opposing the deal, citing the tribe's treaty land claims on the island.

  2002: The Fox Island Education Association (FIEA) is founded by Cathy Allchin, Bradley Boese and friends. Its goal is the preservation of the light station.
The Michigan Land Use Institute joins the Grand Traverse Band's lawsuit, saying the DNR did not follow its own policies for transferring state lands.
State Attorney General Jennifer Granholm rules that she cannot approve the swap because of Indian land claims that "cloud" the title on 200 of the 219 acres to be traded.
David Johnson files a counter-suit against the Grand Traverse Band and the Michigan Land Use Institute.
In November, Leelanau Circuit Court Judge Thomas Power rules against some of the tribal claims. This clears the "cloud" over the title and allows the swap to proceed.

  2003: The Michigan Land Use Institute holds a forum in Traverse City in an attempt to drum up opposition to the land swap. However, on March 7, Attorney General Mike Cox certifies the transfer.

  2004: Board members of the FIEA launch the South Fox Island Lighthouse Restoration Project (SFILRP). In October, a meeting is held with somewhat poor public attendance, but very important connections can be made. At the same time, a new Web site is published, soon reaching fairly good attention.

  2005: Stephanie Staley, director of the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum, sets up a public awareness campaign with a whole series of activities involving school classes. Public presentations are held at the Maritime Academy in Traverse City in March and in Northport in April.
In view of the application for non-profit status, the group is named Fox Island Lighthouse Association (FILA).
Around the end of April the group learns that a great boat will be donated to FILA as soon as non-profit status is obtained. However, the non-profit status application is stuck in a long waiting-list. In May, the South Fox Island Research Project Exhibit is opened to the public at the GT Lighthouse Museum.
For the rest of the year, FILA concentrates on making important contacts and on technical issues concerning the boat, such as the purchase of a trailer. The group is unable to get a ride to the island, which shows the importance of having a boat.

  2006: In January, the FILA Web site is chosen by Leelanau Communications as the Northern Michigan Site of the Year 2005. In February, FILA gets non-profit status, and it becomes a member of the Michigan Lighthouse Alliance. Presentations of the lighthouse project are given at a Grand Traverse Bay Power Squadron meeting and at the Chicago Maritime Festival.
In May, the boat is moved to Northport to be reconditioned. Thanks to volunteering skippers, several trips to the light station can be made in May and June. An assessment of the state of the buildings is followed by basic repairs (windows, metalwork of the lantern room etc.).
In June, the Board of Directors of the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum approves a resolution that establishes close cooperation with FILA.
In August, the boat is launched, but it still has to undergo some work on the engines. FILA presents its project at various public events. The thicket around the light station buildings is cleared by volunteers and FILA members. In September and October, various repairs are made on metal structures, roofs and chimneys. In November, the results of the work and a task list for 2007 are presented to the Department of Natural Resources. The DNR issues an extension of the use permit thorugh the end of the 2007 season. The annual assembly in December introduces the new bylaws and the board of directors is re-elected.

  2007: Supervised by Phil von Voigtlander, the two engines of the Lightkeeper, FILA's boat, are rebuilt and a lot of other maintenance and repair work is done on the boat. Several board meetings are held in cooperation with the Board of Directors of the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum. FILA gets office space and a phone number at the GTLHM. A new computer based presentation of the South Fox Island Lighthouse Restoration Project is created. Again, a lecture on the project is presented at the Chicago Maritime Festival.
A benefit concert for both lighthouses, featuring Chicago maritime musician Lee Murdock, is held in Suttons Bay on February 28. Another presentation of the project is given at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City in March. A great set of aerial photos of the South Fox Light Station is shot by FILA board member Cathy Allchin in spring 2007.
Starting in June, regular work trips to the island are made whenever the weather is safe enough. They include participation of GTLHM volunteer lightkeepers. The Lightkeeper boat is launched in July. In late August, Team Nickerson, three generations of descendants of the family that owned most of the island decades ago, spends a whole week at the light station and gets a lot of work done.
In September, the first Fall Harvest Festival with Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction is held at the Leelanau State Park pavilion next to the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum in Northport. In October, the light station buildings are secured for winter. Team Nickerson gives a great presentation of their work week at FILA's Annual Assembly in December.

  2008: This year sees FILA's boat, the Lightkeeper, in full action. Many trips to the island are made between May and October, and many people, FILA members as well as volunteers, spend some time at the light station to contribute their share to the preservation of the station.
In June, FILA takes part in the conference of the Michigan Lighthouse Association held in Traverse City. Five local artists (three painters, one writer and one photographer) spend a day at the light station to capture scenes for an art show in Northport. A new flag pole is erected in the original stanchion next to the 1867 lighthouse, and the FILA flag is proudly raised together with Old Glory.
In July, a group of boy scouts from Charlevoix spends four days at the station, doing a lot of work. The video camera on top of the skeletal tower is connected to the mainland via directional radio. The pictures captured are displayed at the South Fox exhibition at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse.
In August, the totally overgrown site of the well house is found in the thicket near the southern beach. Team Nickerson does a lot of great work in a sequel to their work week of the previous year. The boat house is completely re-roofed, the workshop is painted, and more walkways are dug out.
In September, FILA holds the second Fall Harvest Festival at the GT Lighthouse Museum. The last trip to the station is made on October 12. The Annual Meeting in December brings an expansion of the board.

  2009: FILA gets substantial financial support from the state! That is very encouraging, and so is the good cooperation with the Department of Natural Resources.
After careful planning and preparation on the mainland, outings to the island begin in late May. The board meeting of June is visited by US Coast Guard representatives, who give us important advice concerning emergencies on the island and on the water.
Many work parties are taken to the island and back to Northport. An emergency radio connection to the Leelanau County Police is established. A detailed survey of the lighthouse property is started to make even more accurate plans of the complex. A whole group of state officials (DNR and State Historic Preservation Office) is taken to the island to give them a close-up impression. After a third episode of Team Nickerson doing a lot of work at the station, the deteriorating roof of the workshop is repaired and reshingled. Meanwhile, FILA members present our project to the public at several big events in the area, including the third Fall Harvest Festival at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum in Northport.
Towards the end of the season, even pretty heavy equipment is transported to the light station to do some landscaping. Now practically all walkways, as far as we know them, are free of humus, rocks and overgrowth. Again, FILA has used every opportunity to make progress.

Compiled by Hans Joerg Rothenberger.  

Many of the details presented here were taken from a collection of excerpts from Annual Reports of the US Lighthouse Board submitted by Terry Pepper of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association in 2005. The entire collection can be seen by clicking here.

Thank you very much Terry!

Top of page

Mysteries & Questions

This section is about things that puzzle us, objects at the South Fox Island Light Station of which we would like to know the purpose, observations we cannot explain etc..

Dear visitor, if you know more than we do, please and share your knowledge with us!

Structures of which we need to know more

- The plumbing stuff in the sandy brush area close to the south-east beach, i.e. south of the Assistant Keepers' Quarters and west of the boathouse. In our plan on the Facts & Maps page, the site is called the "Newer Well House". Was that really the second well, of which some sources say it was dug in 1905? Are there pictures of the installation?
 

- The all-rusty little iron hut in the woods north of the skeletal tower. Doug McCormick, who spent six years of his childhood at the light station, told us that it was used as a smokehouse, and the pitch-black interior confirms that. However, it seems a bit unlikely that it was built for that purpose, especially in view of the fact that it cannot be found in any official plans. Could it be that it originally was built over one of said wells and later moved to its present location? Old aerial photos show a wooden structure close to or at the location of the newer well, and the site of the old well we found in August 2008 consists of just a few rotting beams and boards. Is there a connection?
 

- The plywood hatch and concrete pit close to the walkway junction SW of the workshop. Maybe it contains plumbing buried under humus and bugs. Any hints out there?
 

- The three-legged steel cone in the woods west of the Assistant Keepers' Quarters, sometimes jestingly called "The Still" in FILA lingo. It's about 10 ft tall and completely empty inside. What was that funny looking gadget for?
 

- The somewhat strange wooden clothesline pole with the wires that do not make it look like a real clothesline pole at all. Originally there were two of those poles, as can be seen on an old black-and-white aerial, and their location on a straight line confirms the clothesline theory. But what were those wires for?
 

UPDATE Spring 2010: Doug McCormick (see above) told FILA that the pole, together with a presumably decayed counterpart, had been used for hanging fishing nets. Sounds perfectly reasonable. Thank you very much Doug!

- The pipe and pole between the bushes east of the flag pole, i.e. southeast of the 1867 lighthouse. Any idea what purpose they served?
 

- The steel pole with yellow plastic cap on the dune slope close to the east beach.  We thought it was a marker for the original lighthouse property boundary, but it seems to be at least several dozen yards south of the former northern property boundary line. By the way, there is a similar post on a dune near the opposite beach too.
 

Other questions

- Why were the boilers etc. dragged from the fog signal building to the beach near the boat house? What sense did it make to move those very heavy things and then just drop them on the beach? Who did that? When?
 

- Where is the catwalk that led from the cupola of the fog signal building to the skeletal tower?

- What happened to the Fresnel lens (lantern) of the skeletal tower? Certain sources say it was the lens of the 1867 light that got moved to the Old Presque Ile Light around 1959. It seems that the lens in the skeleton tower was part of the automated system that kept that light on till 1968. And then?

- What is the history of the so called summer kitchen? It was exactly where the workshop is now, but most likely it was not the same building. There is one old photo (pre 1910) that shows the summer kitchen in a little building, open on two sides. When was it built? When was the workshop built?

- What is the history of the rather short and very heavy ladder that was found in the attic of the workshop? Is the name carved in the side perhaps that of a ship?

- Why was one of the second floor windows on the south side of the Assistant Keepers' Quarters boarded up with a plywood sheet that shows the black contour of what looks like a hit man from a western movie? It obviously provoked firearm vandalism. Who put that board there and when?

- Where is the vent ball that formerly topped the roof of the lantern room of the 1867 lighthouse? It was not a real ball like the one on top of the Grand Traverse Lighthouse. The shape was more like a bucket, so it was pretty similar to the one on the roof of the oil house, just bigger. However, old US Lighthouse Service documents called it a "vent ball" all the same.

- Does anybody know the history of the two grave markers on the wooded knoll north of the Assistant Keeper's Quarters?

ADDENDUM December 2008: Robert Harris, who had been at the Light Station as part of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1953, told FILA that Leader was a Blue-Tick Hound hunting dog that belonged to Allen Cain. "Leader" was killed in a hunting accident in 1953. Allen Cain was 1st Assistant 1946 - 1948 and Keeper 1948 - 1958.

ADDENDUM II April 2009 by George Carpenter, FILA Secretary:
The flag holder reads GAR 399 and the copper cross simply bears the name “Leader”.  The flag holder was made for the Woolsey Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Civil War Veterans Post #399.  The post was active in Northport from 1889 to 1921.  A study conducted by Jeffrey Adams, on record at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum, concluded that it might be William T. Lewis.  Lewis was an Acting Keeper from July 1882 to June 1883, when he was made Keeper, and then served until October 1885.  This is confirmed in Kathleen Craker Firestone's book, "The Fox Islands - North and South".  Lewis is reported in our Keeper's List as dying in 1885 and Firestone's book says he died on the Island from a fall.  A conversation with Doug McCormick, who was a Lighthouse Group Commander in northern Lake Michigan from 1949 to the late 1950s for the U. S. Coast Guard, confirmed that Lewis fell from the Lighthouse Tower while painting it.  McCormick spent seven shipping seasons at the Station and remembers looking out his bedroom window “at the Old Vet’s grave” (his father was Keeper at the station from 1915 until 1922). At this point, we are working to learn whether Lewis was a Civil War Veteran.  

- Mysterious nature (added April 1, 2009):

What kind of creature left this strange track,
spotted by the Webmaster on the west
beach in August 2008? A snake? The only
gator in northern Michigan?

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Got it? That was not an animal. Those grass blades, moved by the wind, whipped the sand around their roots, and it's a mere coincidence the semicircular patterns combined to form that snake-like track.

Yeah, added on April 1st!