We spend about every other year in St. Joseph, MI.  In the early 1900’s the area by this lighthouse was known as the place where the ‘SandRabbit’s’ live because only the poor wanted to live next to Lake Michigan.  Now, the houses in that same area and from the same time period go for $700,000 even without facing the lake.

Later in the 1940-1960’s Silverbeach became a popular tourist spot.  Ferry’s came carrying inner city Chicagoians to the fresh lakeshore and to the Silverbeach amusement park.  The park featured a full sized rollercoaster, bumper cars, and a carousal (not to mention swimming on a pure white sand beach).  In the late 60’s Benton Harbor was a hotbed of political protest.

In the 70’s-2000’s it is a popular tourist site — with the occasional political protest.

The lighthouse is actually a chain of two lighthouses on piers that go out from the St. Joseph river.  This lighthouse is the one farthest out into Lake Michigan. The original lighthouse — built in 1832 — was rebuilt in 1907 when the pier city officials decided to extend the pier 1000 feet. This is the lighthouse pictured below.

Notice that I could have chosen to either have a horizontal horizon or a vertical lighthouse? I decided on the vertical lighthouse and the lake appears to empty off the site of the page. I have been vacationing in St. Joseph since I was a little kid and I’m now in my mid-30’s and never noticed the lean before. The lean is caused by 100 years of Lake Michigan weather pounding at the steel lighthouse.