Holland Harbor Light, Lighthouse in Park Township, Michigan, US.
Holland Harbor Light is a red-painted steel and wood lighthouse at the entrance of a channel connecting Lake Michigan with Lake Macatawa, in Holland, Michigan. The structure stands about 43 feet (13 meters) tall and serves as a navigation marker for boats moving between the two bodies of water.
The first wooden structure was built in 1872, and a steel tower was added in 1907, giving the lighthouse its current form. Automation came in 1932, after which no permanent staff was needed on site.
The lighthouse is known locally as "Big Red" because of its bright red color, which makes it stand out against the water and sky. Visitors often photograph it from the sandy beach of Holland State Park, where it frames the channel entrance.
The lighthouse is best seen from the beach and dunes of Holland State Park, just across the channel, without any need to cross private land. A visit in the late afternoon works well, as the red color tends to stand out more against the light at that time of day.
The channel the lighthouse guards was dug by hand in the 19th century by Dutch settlers who wanted direct access to Lake Michigan. That hand-dug waterway is what made a permanent lighthouse necessary in the first place.
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