With White Shoal Lighthouse not being as accessible as many other historic sites, the question of engaging with the public has been a challenge. By working with White Shoal Light Historical Preservation Society and addressing these challenges within this podcast, we aim to enable a wider audience access to the light. The question of what life was like on isolated lake structures is one that many cannot fathom today. The history of the lighthouses on the Great Lakes would be greatly enhanced by exploring questions such as: who worked on the lighthouses, why they chose to, what was expected of them, what were their livelihoods like, what were their personal stories and perspectives, and so on.
Terminology Note: The words “lighthouse,” “light station,” “light tower,” “light,” and “tower” are all used interchangeably to describe the structure of White Shoal and others like it. “Light ship” or “light vessel” referrers to a boat stationed out on a shoal or reef manned by a crew tasked with keeping a light burning to guide others around the underwater obstruction.
“Home,” White Shoal Light Historic Preservation Society, https://www.preservewhiteshoal.org/.
“White Shoal Lighthouse,” Seeing the Light, last modified February 22, 2004, http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/michigan/whiteshoal/whiteshoal.htm.
“We get so many questions…,” White Shoal Light Historical Preservation Society, last modified March 29, 2019, https://www.facebook.com/whiteshoallight/photos/a.1662315997151043/2087277907988181/.
Chart 14902. https://charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/14902.shtml.
Chart 14911. https://charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/14911.shtml.
Light Listening: Stories from Behind the Lens of White Shoal 