1906 Grosse Ile Light

The 50' wooden, octagonal tower was built in 1906 to aid navigation in the Detroit River. It replaced a four-sided wooden pyramid that had previously guided shipping traffic since 1894. Range lights were built in pairs to allow ships to align themselves with the center of a channel. When the two lights were in line a ships crew knew they were sailing for the center of the channel. The rear range light was lost before 1940 and this front light was decommissioned in 1963. The Grosse Ile Historical Society now maintains the light.