Grand Haven South Pierhead Lights

Grand Haven, Michigan, USA

Lake Michigan

These pierhead lights were photographed on a January day when the temperature was well above freezing. The air heavy and foggy, winds were calm, and surface ice was glistening with a coating of meltwater.

Prevailing westerly winds crossing Lake Michigan generate heavy surf in fall and winter, which builds up a heavy coating of ice on the pier. This happens at many ports along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Some lighthouses (such as Ludington Pierhead) even have special wedges, shaped like snowplows, to deflect ice floes.

The original light at Grand Haven was built in 1875 to mark the entrance to the Grand River. It was replaced by this pair of range lights in 1905. They were automated in 1922.

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