South Fox Island’s lighthouses are featured in a short article about local lighthouses in the Spring, 2026 issue of Traverse Bay Lifestyles magazine. This quarterly free publication covers events, places and people in the region.

As noted in the article, South Fox Island is unique in having both our lighthouses still present.

Other nearby lights had multiple iterations of their lights but earlier ones have been lost over time. The original Grand Traverse Lighthouse, for instance, was poorly built and in a less suitable location; it was demolished when the replacement light was built. What’s present today on South Manitou is actually their third light, all built in the same location with inclusion of some of a prior foundation in the current construction. The North Manitou Light was originally built on the island at Dimmick’s Point. As a shoal developed offshore, a lightship was added. Erosion threatened the island light and eventually washed it away. The lightship was replaced by the current shoal light in 1935.

Thanks to Cathy Allchin for coordinating the media inquiry that included us in the article.