Lower Harbor Light House, photo by Perucco Photography.

Terry Pepper’s Seeing the Light has an extensive recounting of the history of the Marquette Harbor Light begins:

With the Jackson Mining Company active a few miles inland, a thriving community sprang up around the natural harbor at the foot of Marquette Bay. Incorporated in 1849, docks and wharves soon appeared to support the shipment of ore. With plans underway for the construction of the new lock at Sault Ste Marie, it was plain that Marquette was destined to become the premier shipping point and destination for Superior maritime traffic. To serve as a guide to vessels entering the harbor, Congress appropriated $5,000 for the construction of a lighthouse on September 28, 1850.

Read on for information about the demise of that first light and the construction of the current light. The lighthouse is now part of the Marquette Maritime Museum and is open mid May to October for tours.

Check this out bigger and in Brett’s Waterscapes slideshow.

Many more Michigan lighthouses from Michigan in Pictures.