|
Most of us have heard or read stories of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. However, the stories of the Chicago fire greatly overshadowed the deadly fires that spread over parts of Michigan and Wisconsin on that same day.
In fact gigantic amounts of land were destroyed during the dry windy weather that helped spark the flames. Several communities burned and were nearly wiped off the map including Holland, Manistee and Port Huron, Michigan and Peshtigo, Wisconsin.
One community that was also destroyed was White Rock located at the southeast corner of Huron County in Michigan about nine miles north of Harbor Beach.
The town was named after a large white boulder offshore that was used as a boundary marker to define land that was ceded by the Indians. It was a thriving community that even got its own post office in 1859. The Great Fire destroyed everything in the town, which reportedly included a lighthouse.
On a recent lighthouse tour to Michigan, Theresa Graham of Tennessee, discovered the White Rock Memorial Lighthouse, which is pictured here from a photograph she submitted to us. Information found indicates that it was built as a memorial to the original lighthouse. This research also indicatedthe new lighthouse, built in 1996 as a private residence, is not a replica of the original lighthouse.
We’d like to know more about the original White Rock Lighthouse. If any of our readers can help us please write to Editor, Lighthouse Digest, Lighthouse Digest, P.O. Box 250, East Machias, ME 04630 or email editor@LighthouseDigest.com.
| 