Days 4 and 5 Seek and Find the Lighthouses

Our Lighthouse Adventure

Day 4 - July 4th

This day we split company. The young Wiese’s set out for the Soak City Water Park and “wise ones” went searching for lighthouses – Huron Harbor, Vermilion, Lorain Breakwater – specifically. Lighthouses are buildings equipped with a tower and a lantern room atop. They have from ancient times aided travelers of the sea by warning them of dangerous coastlines and directing them to safe passage into harbor.

Nick set the GPS for our first lighthouse. We traveled the “scenic” road along the lake to the city of Huron on the Huron River. “Wilhelmina or Wilma” for short, had announced we had arrived at our destination. There was no light house in sight. You would think a structure over 70 feet tall could be easily seen. We did not see it anywhere. We drove around the block checking closely the directions “Wilma” gave us. Still no lighthouse.

???

Vermilion Lighthouse
We decided to move on and travel to Vermilion, on the river of the same name, to seek out the next lighthouse. “Wilma” brought us to the door.

The Vermilion Lighthouse sits at the edge of town on the grounds of the Inland Seas Maritime Museum and just steps away from a small sandy beach.


Before 1850, the people of Vermilion, were forced to make their own makeshift lighthouse using wooden stakes with oil burning lamps marking the entrance of their harbor.  In 1847 a wooden structure was built and then replaced twice, the second time in 1877, with a 16 foot octagonal cast iron tower.  The original lighthouse was at the end of a catwalk like  pier out in the water.

 In 1929 it was noticed the tower was leaning toward the river.  The lighthouse was dismantled by the government and taken away and was replaced by an 18-foot skeletal tower.    Years later a replica of the 1877 lighthouse was constructed on the grounds of the house that was once the boyhood home of the young man who had noticed that the tower was unstable. 

The old house is the main structure of the Great Lakes Society's, Inland Seas Maritime Museum. This new Vermilion Lighthouse was dedicated on June 6, 1992, and is still operational today. It serves not only as part of the museum, but also as an active aid to navigation.   

***

Lorain Breakwater Lighthouses

 Both Lighthouses.... 

West Breakwater on the left and East Breakwater far right

This was as close as we could get. 



Original 1917 Lighthouse

Automated Light tower 1965

Like so many other stories of other lighthouse communities, Lorain’s first light was a lantern hanging on a pole at the edge of the Black River and Lake Erie. The Lorain Breakwater Lighthouse was constructed on the West breakwater in 1917. The structure stretched 56 feet tall. The three story building is painted white with red roof and gray and red trim.


Built by the Army Corps of Engineers, the lighthouse was designed to withstand the tempestuous weather of Lake Erie. From one corner of the structure, a square tower, topped by a lantern room, extends just above the pitched roof. It was taken out of service in 1965 when it was replaced by an automated light tower on the nearby East Breakwater.



This modern 60 foot light tower is a square cylindrical steel tower rising from a square 1-story concrete equipment shelter. The tower is painted white with green trim.  It took over as the official Lorain Harbor Light and the West Lorain Breakwater Lighthouse fell dark. The original breakwater light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 29 December 1978.

Birds on the East breakwater.

I believe this is a small blue heron.

Wet lands

We enjoyed the walk out to the end of the concrete pier which stretched a mile or so into Lake Erie between the breakwaters.  For about half mile along side the pier there was a marsh area. Clara and I saw someone coming out of the marsh area and decided to walk back through the marsh to where the car was parked. We were hoping to see some wild life native to the area. We did scare up a few small birds and a deer.

We saw a monarch butterfly. There were 2 swan on the pond but nothing as exciting as a crane or heron.

We heard there was a tour boat that scheduled boat rides out to  both lights. We looked around the area for a this boat launch.

We did not find a boat ride out.

***

At this point we decided to head back toward our Hotel.

We also wanted to search again for the

Huron Lighthouse.

Our thought was, perhaps coming in from the East. we could more easily spot the tower. We arrived at a spot where Wilma again announced that we had reached our destination. Still no lighthouse was visible. I looked at a small pamphlet about the Lighthouse Coastal Trail. It mentioned Wall Street and Main Street. It said to park on the left and follow the breakwater. Nick programmed in intersection of Wall and Main Streets. The GPS took us through some streets on the North side of town and right to the parking area at the end of Main Street. We again walked about a mile or so out on a concrete pier. Along the way was some interesting types of foliage. I took pictures hoping to be able to identify later.

I know these are thistles.

I don't know what this is?

Looks like a blackberry tree,  but is probably a mulberry.

 Sand hill across the Huron River Harbor was covered
with little white birds.

When we got to the end of the concrete pier we had to cut left into the brush and follow a dirt trail for a distance to the seawall that led to the  present day Huron Harbor Lighthouse.

The first Huron Harbor Lighthouse was a tower constructed in 1835 of wood on the west pier. The light was not durable enough to withstand the wind and weather of Lake Erie, and in the late 1850’s a new light was built. This time it was fully enclosed and constructed of iron.

1850's
By the 1930’s, it was determined that a new light should be built at the end of the breakwater, which had been extended to a mile offshore, where it stands today. In the style 1930’s, the Art Deco light consists of a square, cylindrical tower on a square fog building.


 It stands 72 feet high and is made of white steel plates on a concrete foundation. Huron Harbor Lighthouse originally had a lantern room on top, but no keeper’s dwelling.  It was operated by remote control by a station on shore.  In 1972,  it was automated.  The lighthouse is still operational and is managed by the United States Coast Guard.

Brightly beams our Father’s mercy from His lighthouse evermore

But to us He gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.

Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman, you may rescue,
you may save.




Our day began at 7 and ended 7.  Young ones day began at noon and ended at midnight.
The 4th of July fireworks out on the point were scheduled at 10pm - by that time we had worn ourselves out looking for lighthouses and
were in bed asleep.

July 5th
Remember the beginning of the story about the truck?  We had just started our trip toward home when we learned from the mechanic the truck would be ready at noon on the 6th. 

When we arrived at home, there on the bed

was my packed suitcase,
full of nicely folded clean clothes.

God is good. 

I dont know why in the last two blogs the fount changes. 

The fount seems to be okay in composition but different in size and style when published..