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Northeast Michigan is an area with a rich maritime history ranging from shipwrecks to lighthouses.

According to Pat Labadie, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary historian, the region served as important shipping area for lumber beginning around the 1870s.

"At first before Alpena developed as a lumber port and there was a tremendous amount of shipping that went by there," he said. "After 1870 when the sawmills were running, Alpena was a very important port in the lumber trade."

Harrisville and Black River in Alcona County served as other significant lumber sites until the early 1900s when the lumber had become exhausted in the areas. Rogers City and Rockport eventually became important areas because of the quarries and limestone. By 1905 Alpena had shifted from lumber to becoming an important cement port.

The 1870s also were the time of the steam ship lines which served the various ports by bringing in passengers, food stuffs, dry goods and other types of freight. For many years, sailing ships provided the only access to the region unless you were hardy enough to stand the long wagon ride to the north.

"It started in the 1870s and ended when they highways were built," Labadie said. "Until then the ships were the only way these communities were supplied with food."

Labadie said the numbers of ships going through the area was high in the late 1800s and the 1880s is considered to be the peak for the amount of ship accidents that occurred. The Pewabic which went down in 1865 and the German freighter the Nordmeer that sunk in 1966 are some of the best known shipwrecks of the area.

"The numbers were incredible and the ships were very visible all the time. It was just an invitation for accidents just with the volume of ships," he said.

The highest incidence of shipwrecks occurred near the Old and New Presque Isle Lighthouses and Thunder Bay Island Lighthouse. These lighthouses were important landmarks which brought ships together and resulted in a large number of collisions. Poor visibility from forest fire smoke, fog or snow also caused ships to steer towards them and run into the shoals, Labadie said.

"It isn't any accident that the lighthouses are placed at those hazardous locations, theoretically to warn the ships of those points," he said.

The lighthouses that dot the Lake Huron shoreline were important aids to navigation and some continue to be. Some contained a fresnel lens, which is a lens composed of a series of smaller lenses that are arranged to make a lightweight lens of large diameter and short focal length.

According to Susan Skibbe of the Thunder Bay Island Lighthouse Preservation Society, the Thunder Bay Island Lighthouse was constructed in 1832. The tower is 50 feet tall with the light's focal point being 63 feet above the low water level. The lighthouse is still an active aid to navigation with an automated beacon. The light is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard and rest of the building is maintained by the preservation society, Skibbe said.

According to the preservation society, the current Alpena range light was constructed in 1914 after replacing previous range lights. The structure contained a fourth order fresnel lens from a prior range light.

The Middle Island Lighthouse was built in 1905 and has a 79 feet tall tower. The lighthouse is owned by the Coast Guard and is currently an operational, automated light. At one time the lighthouse contained a third order fresnel lens, which was removed when the light became automated, said Mike Theut, manager of the Middle Island Keeper's Lodge.

The 30 feet high Old Presque Isle Lighthouse was constructed in 1840 with the purpose of being a harbor light. It was operational for 30 years until it became inadequate with increased shipping traffic.

President Abraham Lincoln authorized the construction of a new lighthouse and in 1870 the New Presque Isle Lighthouse was constructed. The tower is 115 feet tall and the light shines for 15 miles. It has remained operational since its construction. The Coast Guard took over the light in 1970 and operated it until it became automated.

Both Presque Isle lighthouses are maintained by the Presque Isle Township Museum Society, said Vice President John Gledhill.

According to Judy Kimball, museum society historian, the front and rear range lights for Presque Isle harbor were constructed in 1870. Within recent years the front light was moved by Presque Isle Township to its current location on East Grand Lake Road. The rear light is privately owned.

The 40 Mile Point Lighthouse was built in 1894 and was fully operational until 1943. The structure became the property of Presque Isle County when it was turned over from the Coast Guard in 1998. The lighthouse has a fourth order fresnel lens with light that shines for 16 miles. It's maintained by the 40 Mile Point Lighthouse Society, said Secretary Barb Stone.

The Sturgeon Point Lighthouse in Alcona County was constructed in 1869 and became operational in 1870. The 70 feet lighthouse continues to be operational today and contains a fresnel lens. The light illuminating from the structure can be seen 16 miles out. The Coast Guard owns the tower and the keepers house is owned by the Alcona Historical Society, said member Craig Klemens.