Bete Grise, MI (Mendota Ship Canal)


Photographer: Keith W. Churill Photographer: Keith W. Churill	Mendota Ship Canal Bete Grise, Michigan Built : 1870, 1895 Construction : Square / Integral Status : In-Active, Private Residence Location : Bete Grise, MI., Mendota Ship Channel Height : 45 feet Access : (Private Residence) Car, can view Light from opposite side of channel. Take US-41 just past Delaware, following the road to Lac La Belle. Turn East to Bete Grise and follow the road South to the Light, about 4.5 miles from Bete Grise. Photographer: Keith W. Churill
History : Originally, in 1870, a wooden tower was built here to guide ships into the Mendota Shipping Channel which would take them into Lac La Belle from Lake Superior. It was operational for only one year. In 1895 the lighthouse was reestablished. The tower is square and painted yellow. There is an attached T-shaped dwelling built off of the Western side. A 10-sided cast-iron lantern still stands but the lens is gone. The station was abandoned by the Coast Guard in 1960 when new pierhead lights were installed at the entrance to Lac La Belle. The lighthouse still stands today as a private residence. Photographer: Keith W. Churill Here you can see the nearby entrance to the Mendota Ship Canal.