Portage Entry Light

The Keweenaw Peninsula--Michigan's Copper Country--is split by Portage Lake. One of the engineering accomplishments of Lake Superior's mining companies was opening the western entrance to the passage and making it possible for ships to cross the peninsula, rather than go around; this was a considerable saving in time and an increase in safety for the shippers.

Three decades or so ago the ships outgrew this channel, and modern navigational practices improved the safety of the route around the peninsula. You occasionally see a pleasure boat at this entrance, and the Parks Service ship Ranger III, but it's no longer a shipping route.

This light, which marks the boundary of McLain State Park, also marks the entrance to the Portage passage.