It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down
I had the radio on, I was drivin’
The trees went by, me and Del were singin’
Little runaway, I was flyin’
Yes, another Tom Petty cruising day. We took a short trip just north to the White River Light Station. We heard good things about the museum within the light house… will have to come back sometime when it opens in the late Spring. Meanwhile, no tourists to battle for spaces in the tiny parking lot. Just a dozen or so fishermen enjoying the cold sunshine.
This lighthouse has an interesting story. A channel was dug between White Lake and Lake Michigan so schooners could access the sawmills on White Lake, and further up the White River. This access became critical after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. As mentioned in a previous entry, Chicago was not the only area ablaze on October 8th, 1871. Fires raged in Michigan, Wisconsin, and other parts of Illinois. It is possible that all these fires were connected to meteor showers from the remnants of Comet Biela. The Wisconsin fire burned 1.2 million acres of forest, and killed somewhere between 1,500 and 2,500 people. Michigan timber was an important resource in the rebuilding of Chicago. The White River Lighthouse was completed in 1875 and had a rich history in protecting the channel until 1960.
It was pleasant to see plentiful blue water again, but the shores here have the same sand covered ice hills. Still days away from waves crashing along sugar sand beaches.
Good to have an old-fashioned map. Over 100 lighthouses to visit, we have only scratched the surface.
