Sunburst and Lighthouse - A Photo from Northeast Michigan

Just a photograph for today. 

This picture of the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse was taken in 2009.  Old Presque Isle Light is located in Presque Isle Township in Presque Isle County.  Presque Isle County is located along the northern Lake Huron shoreline of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.  This light was originally constructed in 1840.  It was replaced in 1870 by the New Presque Isle Lighthouse. 

The words presque isle originally come from the French language and translate to "almost an island".  They are used to describe a peninsula that is connected to the mainland by a very narrow neck of land and is therefore "almost an island".  Presque Isle is one of many French place names in Michigan.  For approximately 150 years, Michigan was part of New France (Nouvelle-France).  Although Michigan was lightly settled by the French, it very important for control of the Great Lakes fur trade and fur trading posts/forts were established at strategic locations such as Detroit, Sault Sainte Marie, and the Straits of Mackinac.  Although the French ceded control of Michigan (and the rest of Nouvelle-France) to Great Britain in the 1760s, many of the place names have passed down to us today.

To learn more about these lighthouses visit the Presque Isle Township Museum Society website.

Old Presque Isle Lighthouse (July 2009)