South Manitou Lighthouse

he lighthouse at South Manitou was built in 1839 and operated until 1958 at which time it was taken out of service. It is now owned by the National Park Service as a part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. If you go, you will take the ferry www.leelanau.com/manitou from Leland, an attractive harbor town which is about 27 miles north of the national lakeshore's visitor center. The ferry trip will take you by "The Crib," a 75 foot light tower which was built in 1935 to mark the spot where the bottom of Lake Michigan suddenly rises to within 20 feet of the surface. For nearly 50 years, a three man crew lived in the tower and took turns of working for two weeks and going ashore for a week. The light is now automated and is not open to the public. As well as seeing The Crib, you may hear its horn on a foggy day or night.