The Crib sits in the middle of the Manitou Passage of Lake Michigan, eight miles offshore from Leland, Michigan, and one mile offshore from North Manitou Island. The official name of the lighthouse is the North Manitou Shoal Light, denoting the hazardous shallow shoal area southeast of the island. More than ten years ago I saw photos of the lone lighthouse surrounded by the lake and it has lingered in my imagination ever since.
When I learned that the Fishtown Preservation Society and Leelanau Historical Society employees and summer interns were invited for a tour of The Crib by the North Manitou Lighthouse Keepers, the non-profit who owns and is overseeing the restoration of the lighthouse, I was beyond excited. Just the month before, I’d gotten a closer glimpse of the lighthouse while on my way to South Manitou Island aboard the Mishe Mokwa, the island ferry. Completed in 1935 and standing 75 feet above water, The Crib still signals ships and boats away from the shallow waters of North Manitou Island, though I was to learn that it doesn’t happen the way that it used to.
The Crib is only accessible by boat. The morning of our journey the Lake Michigan waves were rolling as we ventured out of Leland Harbor on the Bear, captained by Geoff Niessink. The journey to the lighthouse usually takes half an hour, but the rough waters extended the trip across the Manitou Passage to nearly an hour. By the time we approached The Crib we were all soaked to the bone, laughing, and eager to get on solid ground, even if it was a lighthouse in the middle of Lake Michigan.
As we neared The Crib, the size of the lighthouse caught me by surprise. The glimmering white structure stretched up and up and up with a total of three different platforms, all atop a huge slab of cement. Bear pulled up to the side of The Crib where there was a door. Fortunately, the one point of access was on the side protected from the waves, otherwise we might not have been able to climb onto the lighthouse. Stepping off the boat into the dark basement, I felt like I was in a dungeon. It was illuminated only with a little daylight through thick glass in the ceiling. Puddles of water were scattered along the basement floor, making the space heavy with moisture. The rooms were for storage, coal, and a giant boiler for heating, essential for keeping the lantern atop the lighthouse aglow. It looked like the kind of space where no one ever lingered for long.
We made our way through the basement and up the stairs that would bring us to the first platform and rooms once used for machinery and U.S. Coast Guard boats. Dave McWilliam, our tour guide and a founding member of the North Manitou Light Keepers, paused to explain the history of the lighthouse. All around the room were large historic photos and huge windows overlooking the expanse of the Manitou Passage. If we’d been there on 
our own the layers of peeling paint would have made the place feel desolate, but Dave’s stories of the lighthouse’s past and his group’s efforts to save it brought the place to life. I didn’t expect to be enamored with the construction details, but being in the lighthouse and hearing Dave’s passion for the project made every tidbit of information fascinating.
Construction of the lighthouse began with a 65×65 foot wooden box, a crib, that was floated out into the lake. The box was then filled with rocks and concrete which sank the box, becoming the solid foundation of the lighthouse. This also gave the North Manitou Shoal Light its nickname “The Crib.” Once the base of the lighthouse was complete, the next step was ensuring that the structure was set in stone and would not move. This entailed pounding 50-foot long sheets of metal 25 feet underground and leaving 25 feet above ground on each side of the lighthouse. The edges of the metal on the base of the lighthouse are visible as you approach the lighthouse from the water. Once the foundation and base were secured, construction of the rest of the lighthouse moved ahead relatively quickly, soon towering 75 feet above the water.
As we stepped out of these work spaces and onto the first exterior platform deck, I paused to soak in the view. It was still a little hazy, so we were barely able to see North Manitou Island, just to the northwest. We were surrounded by water on a little island of concrete. As we walked around, the deck surface popped and bent under our feet. I asked Dave what was going on and he explained that when the lighthouse was decommissioned efforts were made to preserve the lighthouse before leaving it to the harsh conditions of the lake and weather. This consisted of boarding up all of the windows and placing metal sheets on the flooring of the platform so that it would not get ruined. The surface we were walking on was the now rusted metal sheeting. The efforts to preserve the lighthouse caused unforeseen maintenance challenges. All that metal is going to have to come up and have a new protective surface installed.
Another flight of stairs took us up to the living quarters for the crew that operated the lighthouse and the Coast Guard. During its active days from 1935-1980, the lighthouse usually hosted three men who rotated three weeks at a time, with two weeks on The Crib and then one week off. As we wandered around the living room and kitchen areas there were old photos of the crew in the kitchen, playing the guitar in the recreational room, and even a photo of a puppy named Daisy that lived out on the lighthouse. The Crib has four bedrooms so each crew member had private space, and two bathrooms. As the group of us explored different rooms I noticed that each bedroom had an expansive window to enjoy the full view of Lake Michigan. I think I would quite enjoy being able to see the sunrise and sunset all from the comfort of my bed. While some in our group began to shudder at how isolated this life must have been, I imagined that the crew had a blast living here on the lighthouse for a few weeks at a time.
In 1980, when The Crib was mothballed, it was re-outfitted with an automated light for the safety of the Manitou Passage and to mark the shoal. The structure of The Crib, however, was left to the waves and weather until 2016, when North Manitou Lighthouse Keepers purchased it at auction. Once purchased,
the group began to restore the lighthouse. Lighthouses have a magic hold on the popular imagination, and Dave confessed that they were a little naïve about what they’d gotten themselves into, even though they had visited the place and seen its condition before the auction. When they made their pre-auction exploratory trip there was almost a foot of bird poop sitting on the exterior platform! The exterior of the lighthouse had become a bird paradise and the evidence was all over the platforms.
Dave said that restoring the lighthouse has had many bumps in the road, including getting crew and supplies out to the lighthouse, raising funds, and following strict restrictions from the EPA and OSHA. One of the first projects that they tackled was removal of the original lead paint from the exterior walls. The lighthouse had to be covered in a tent and the paint carefully removed so that none of the paint ended up in Lake Michigan. All hazardous waste material was then put on a boat and transported back to land for disposal. Only then could they repaint the lighthouse its now gleaming bright white and black. Along with this the floor on the upper two platforms were replaced with a plastic rubber that could withstand any weather conditions—and bird poo. The first platform is on track to have its rusted metal sheets removed and replaced with the rubber coating this summer.
I was amazed to learn about all of the hard and tedious work that it took to get the outside of the lighthouse looking so new. It turns out that most of the projects have been done by Mihm Enterprises, Inc., a construction company out of Hamilton, Michigan, that specializes in preservation and lighthouse projects.
For the final part of our tour, we climbed another set of stairs to where the light of the lighthouse is housed. To get to this platform you have to climb up a steep slanted ladder and watch your head as you climb into the glass-enclosed lantern area. We then stepped outside to the third and final platform that wrapped around the lantern of the lighthouse in a circle. All ten of us squeezed out onto the platform. The haze had lifted so we were able to enjoy the expansive 360-degree view. We even had a small surprise birthday celebration for one of the Leelanau Historical Society staff members.
Dave explained to us that his organization’s goal for the lighthouse is to complete restoration of the exterior before moving on the interior. Their mission is to keep it standing in this incredible setting, and to make it available for public education. Eventually they would like to be able to have visitors stay out at the lighthouse overnight, bringing a whole new level to sharing its maritime history. I want to be the first on the list for this experience! I couldn’t help but imagine how much fun and how peaceful it would be to be out on this lighthouse for a week with close friends or family. I would, however, probably stay out of the dungeon basement.
For now, North Manitou Light Keepers continues to bring groups of ten out to The Crib and gives tours of the lighthouse and all the work that has been done. I encourage anyone who wants to discover more of Northern Michigan to visit The Crib, and experience how it sits strong and steady in the middle of Lake Michigan. I confess that it wasn’t until near the end of our visit that I realized there’s a connection between The Crib and Fishtown. Generations of commercial fishermen explored and set nets in the waters of the Manitou Passage, both before and after The Crib was built. This lighthouse served as a landmark for the commercial fishermen, and helped make the waters safer for them, too. It still serves as a landmark for Joel Petersen, the captain of the Joy.
Our trip back to Leland Harbor was a smoother and drier boat ride, but I was buzzing with excitement to tell my family and friends about this experience and how special it was to be able to explore this treasured part of Michigan’s history. After this visit I understood the fascination with this and other lighthouses on the Great Lakes. Even now as I write, I find myself wanting to return.