Visitors are welcomed back to the Point Iroquois Lighthouse’s maritime museum and Eastern National Forest Interpretive Association outlet. Shown is the lighthouse. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service)

BRIMLEY — The Hiawatha National Forest is welcoming visitors back to the Point Iroquois Lighthouse’s maritime museum and Eastern National Forest Interpretive Association outlet, which are now open. Hours of operation for both are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

However, precautions still remain.

To ensure the safety of employees and visitors, there will be a limit of seven people in the museum at one time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service announced. The bathroom building is also open to the public. Also, because of tight spaces and the inability to socially distance, the tower and 1950s exhibit will remain closed.

Visitors are urged to continue following the protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with local health and safety guidance. If visitors to the forest are not fully vaccinated — at least two weeks past the final dose — CDC guidance indicates they should continue to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing in areas where larger groups of people may gather.

This summer there will be several significant projects occurring at the lighthouse. Again, visitors are asked to take extra care and precaution during these times. From the end of this month through the summer of 2022, there will be 1950 Museum updates, repairs to the boardwalk and repainting of caretaker residence.

The last day of the season will be Sept. 19 when the USDA Forest Service will shift to weekends only until Oct. 16, which is the last day of business.

The boardwalk and lighthouse grounds offer views of the surrounding area, Lake Superior and Canada, and are open year-round for the public to enjoy.

For additional information, visit www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/hiawatha/recarea/?recid=13342.

History abounds

According to the forest service, the Point Iroquois Lighthouse in 1975 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The structure, which stands high above the waters of Lake Superior at the entry to St. Marys River, served passing sailors by marking the narrow channel.

The name Point Iroquois refers to a battle that took place in 1662 between the local Ojibwa — also known as the Chippewa or Anishinaabeg — and an invading Iroquois war party. The Iroquois had invaded the area in an attempt to gain influence and dominate the fur trade, but the Ojibwa were able to defeat the Iroquois war party, which stopped their westward expansion.

The Indian agent of scholar, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, noted the Ojibwa called Point Iroquois “Nau-do-we-e-gun-ing,” which in their native language means “Place of Iroquois Bones.”

In 1620, the first white men to the area were French explorers Brule and Grenoble. From that time, Point Iroquois became a familiar landmark for the French explorers, fur traders and the missionaries who were to follow. Sault Ste. Marie was the first white settlement in what was later to become Michigan.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers noted on its website that the St. Marys

River is the only water connection between Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes. Near the upper end of the river the water drops 21 feet over hard sandstone in a stretch that runs three quarters of a mile. This rapids, or “sault” — the original old French term — made it impossible for trade vesels, so these vessels had to be unloaded and their contents portaged around.

The discovery of copper and iron ore in 1844 necessitated a passage for ore-carrying vessels through the rapids of St. Marys River to the steel plants of the lower Great Lakes, the forest service said. In 1865, the St. Marys Falls Canal, commonly known as the Soo Locks, was opened to facilitate such passage. The locks have since become the most heavily used commercial shipping canal in the world.

The first Point Iroquois Lighthouse and lightkeepers residence were built in 1855, and the light was exhibited for the first time on Sept. 20, 1857, the USFS said. With the growth of traffic through the locks, the importance of the light station increased. In 1870, the wooden tower and residence were replaced with the brick buildings that stand today. After 107 years of service, the light at Point Iroquois became history, having been replaced by an automatic light in the channel off Gros Cap, Ontario.

To get to the lighthouse from the intersection of M-28 and I-75, drive 7.5 miles west on M-28 to M-221 in Brimley. Turn right and drive 2.5 miles on M-221 to Lake Shore Drive, then turn left and drive 6.5 miles to the lighthouse.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.