Big Sable

1830s - logging and shipping 

1855 - 12 shipwrecks, 48 lives 

1856 - Congress approved 

1861 - Civil War 

1867 - Big Sable built 

• $35,000 appropriation 
• first lit November 1 
• 933 acre site 
• 500 feet from lake 
• yellow brick tower 
• 112 feet to ventilator ball 
• 1 keeper and 1 assistant 
• third order Fresnel lens 
• lard oil lamp fixed, white light
• visible 18 miles 

1900 - metal clad tower 

1900 - tower daymark 1909 - kerosene lamp, visible 19 miles 

1909 - fog horn, heard 5 miles 

1909 - 2nd assistant 

1934 - Dia-phon fog horn 

1941 - new fog horn 

1949 - indoor plumbing 

1949 - electric lamp, visible 19 miles 

1953 - entire station electrified 

1970 - Coast Guard leaves 

1985 - 300 mm plastic lens, visible 15 miles 

1991 - seawall completed 

2002 - site transfer to State of Michigan 

• SPLKA operates and maintains