Bois Blanc Island Lighthouse is a photograph by Phyllis Taylor which was uploaded on May 2nd, 2016.
Bois Blanc Island Lighthouse
Located along the eastern approach to the Straits of Makinac, Michigan, twelve-mile-long and six-mile-wide Bois Blanc Island was ceded to the United... more
Title
Bois Blanc Island Lighthouse
Artist
Phyllis Taylor
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Located along the eastern approach to the Straits of Makinac, Michigan, twelve-mile-long and six-mile-wide Bois Blanc Island was ceded to the United States on August 3, 1795 by Chippewaw chief Matchekewis as part of the Treaty of Greenville. Bois Blanc is French for white wood and likely refers to the island's stands of basswood tree whose white underbark was used by Native Americans and French fur traders as cordage for sewing up canoes and making webbing for snowshoes.
On May 23, 1828, Congress appropriated $5,000 for a lighthouse on Bois Blanc Island, and on March 9th of the following year, a $4,695 contract was awarded to Philo Scovill of Cleveland for building a light-house and dwelling-house on the island and fitting up the light-house with patent lamps and reflectors. The outer end of a peninsula extending from the northern side of Bois Blanc Island was selected as the site for the lighthouse, which would serve as a guide for mariners sailing through the Straits of Mackinac.
The original lighthouse was destroyed and it has been rebuilt twice.
Uploaded
May 2nd, 2016
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