White River Light Station

Photography by Marion Riedl
2016 TOUR HOURS.
May 27-October 30
Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm (closed Monday)
DIRECTIONS TO THE WHITE RIVER LIGHT STATION
Take US-31 to White Lake Dr exit. Turn right on South Shore Drive. Turn left and continue following museum signs to the end of Murray Road.
LIGHTHOUSE HISTORY & FACTS
Back in the lumbering days, a channel was dug between these two bodies of water to allow schooners to access the sawmills, adjacent to pine forests. Later, passengers arrived from Chicago on steamships to enjoy summer activities on White Lake.
White River Light Station's first keeper was Captain William Robinson. He and his wife Sarah and their thirteen children spent 47 years at the Light. Many qualified people followed, including Frances Marshall, the last female lighthouse keeper in Michigan.
The light station was decommissioned in 1960 and became a museum in 1970. Here, you can climb the spiral staircase to the top of the tower or view the original Fourth Order Fresnel lens. There is a $5 donation for adults and $2 for children 11 & under to climb the tower.
Discover More Lake Michigan Lighthouses...
Jump to:
- West Michigan Lighthouses
- Northwest Michigan Lighthouses
- Northern Michigan Lighthouses
- Wisconsin Lighthouses
Ludington's North Breakwater Light -- Walk the half-mile long pier to West Michigan's most popular lighthouse.
North Pierhead Lighthouse in Manistee -- At the Manistee beach.
Little Sable Point Lighthouse -- Located at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes.
Big Sable Point Lighthouse -- Located in the Ludington State Park.
Pentwater Pier Head Lights -- At the channel to Pentwater Lake.
Grand Haven Lighthouse -- The Grand Haven lighthouse is at the mouth of the Grand River.
White River Light Station in Whitehall -- Operated by the Sable Point Lighthouse Keepers.
www.WestMichiganLighthouses.com
Grand Traverse Light Station -- Located on the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula in Northern Michigan, The Grand Traverse Light was established in 1852.
Point Betsie Light Station -- Nestled in a dune just south of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the tower stands 39 feet tall, but with the height of the dune it towers 52 feet above Lake Michigan.
www.NorthwestMichiganLighthouses.com
Harbor Point Lighthouse -- Located in Harbor Springs in Northern Michigan.
McGulpin Point Lighthouse -- This lighthouse is located in the Straits of Mackinac at Mackinaw City.
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse -- Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse is in Mackinaw City.
www.NorthernMichiganLighthouses.com
Manitowoc North Breakwater - Walk out to the end of the pier to this Manitowoc lighthouse, and wave to the carferry S.S. Badger as the ship passes by.
Algoma North Pierhead - This lighthouse can be seen all along the Crescent Beach Boardwalk and is accessible via the pier if you want to venture closer.
Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse - Located in Kewaunee, Wisconsin...halfway between Sturgeon Bay and Manitowoc along Lake Michigan.
www.WisconsinLighthouses.com
More West Michigan Lighthouse Info...
- Ludington's North Breakwater Light at Stearns Park
- The Lighthouses of Ludington
- Pentwater Pierhead Lights
- Manistee North Pierhead Lighthouse
- Visit West Michigan Lighthouses
- Nights at the Lights Features Entertainment at the Lighthouses
- Visit the Grand Haven Lighthouse and Pier
- White River Light Station