Thunder Bay Island facts for kids

Thunder Bay Island is a small island, about 215 acres big, located in Lake Huron. It's like a special home for wildlife because it's part of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The island is also part of Alpena Township in Alpena County. It sits right at the entrance to Thunder Bay, which is the harbor for the city of Alpena, Michigan. This area is also famous for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, a protected underwater park.

The island is home to the historic Thunder Bay Island Light, a lighthouse that has been there since 1857. Next to the lighthouse are the old living quarters for the lightkeeper. The island also has spots where people from the lifesaving service and private fishermen used to live.

Island History

The Lighthouse Story

The very first lighthouse built by the U.S. government in Lake Huron was here in 1831. It was the third lighthouse to start working in the entire lake. Lighthouses are super important because they guide ships safely, especially at night or in bad weather. The lighthouse you see today was built in 1857.

Saving Lives at Sea

Thunder Bay Island was also the location of a special station that opened in 1876. This station was run by the United States Life-Saving Service. Imagine brave people who helped rescue sailors and ships in trouble! They worked here until 1939. That's when the Life-Saving Service joined with the Coast Guard, which still helps people at sea today.

Fishing Village Life

Besides the lighthouse keepers and the lifesaving crew, regular families also lived on Thunder Bay Island in the 1800s. They were private fishermen, not government workers. In the 1830s and 1840s, there was a big market for fish packed in barrels from Lake Huron.

Fishermen would catch fish and quickly bring them to the island. There, the fish were salted to keep them fresh for a long time. A fishing station grew on Thunder Bay Island during this time. In 1846, a report said 160 people lived on the island! There were also 31 fishing boats, mostly small Mackinaw boats, that called the island their home. People say they caught about 12,000 barrels of fish every year! The fishing station even had a small general store for the community.

However, after a few decades, there weren't as many fish in Lake Huron. Because of this, the fishing station on Thunder Bay Island became a ghost town. People moved away, and the busy fishing village became quiet.