Sand Point Light Station on Keweenaw Bay, Lake Superior
Located at the Ojibwa Recreation Area, Baraga, Michigan

The Sand Point Lighthouse is located on the west side of Keweenaw Bay at the Ojibwa Campground and Recreation Area in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Owned by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, the keepers dwelling has recently been restored to its original design. The dwelling is not open, but visitors are welcome to tour the grounds.

The Sand Point Light Station was first lit in 1878 and replaced by a steel skeletal tower at the shoreline in 1922. This automated light is presently an active aid to navigation in Keweenaw Bay. The keepers dwelling is red brick with white trim and a square brick tower that once contained a fifth order Fresnel lens. The Sand Point Lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The first keeper of the light was Jean Crebassa who tended the light from 1878 until 1908, followed by his wife Ann who kept the light for 2 months until Keeper Thomas Thompson took over the light keeping duties until 1911.

The last keeper was Richard Thompson, his brother, who kept the light shining brightly until it was automated in 1922. Jean Crebassa’s father, Pierre, was a voyageur and one of the early settlers in L’Anse where he lived with his Ojibwa wife, Nancy. An interesting fact is that the original lighthouse was built closer to the shoreline and suffered from beach erosion, so the lighthouse was moved 200 feet inland in the 1980s.

After the light was deactivated in 1922, it became a private residence and the owner added a white porch on the front of the building.

The porch was removed in 2014 returning the lighthouse to its original beauty  and visitors are welcome to walk on the grounds, take photographs, and enjoy the view of L’Anse and across the bay.  There are picnic tables if you wish to sit and relax a bit.

Directions: The Sand Point Lighthouse is located in the Ojibwa Recreation Area. Take US-41 north of Baraga about 1 mile to the road just past the Department of Natural Resources District Headquarters building. Look for the Ojibwa Campground sign and turn right. Take the next gravel road to the right and continue until you reach a fork in the road. Take the left fork and continue to the lighthouse.

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Historic Photo: U S Coast Guard Historian’s Office
Top Photo: Mark, Keweenaw Bay Recreation Area