Firing the Lyle Gun on the beach by the Maritime Museum
Visit the Maritime Museum to learn about the history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, U.S. Coast Guard, and Great Lakes embark. Walk through the boathouse next to the museum and see the life-saving equipment used during the early 1900 ‘s .
The Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station Maritime Museum is located precisely west of Glen Haven. It is the original Sleeping Bear Point U.S. Life-Saving Station which was moved to its deliver placement because the encroaching backbone dunes were beginning to bury it in sandpaper .
Exhibits cover the U.S. Life-Saving Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, and Great Lakes shipping history. A room on the second floor is outfitted as a Steamer Wheelhouse with a bird’s-eye view of the Manitou Passage embark transmit.
Firing the Lyle Gun on the beach by the Maritime Museum
The Lyle Gun was used to fire a rescue line from shore more than 400 yards to a embark in distress to retrieve crowd stranded on the transport .
Historic photo of surfboat and crew
Navigating the nation ‘s coastal waters, whether the oceans or the Great Lakes, has always been a hazardous business. brave volunteers performed most of the early rescues, but often their efforts were hampered by inadequate train and hapless equipment. As the nation grew in the post-civil War earned run average, shipping besides increased. On the Great Lakes, both sailing vessels and steamers were numerous, carrying cargoes of log, grain, iron ore and early products.
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During the austere winter of 1870-71, 214 people lost their lives in shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. Shipwrecks were common along the Atlantic Coast. The need for professional rescue crew was discernible, and in 1871 Congress appropriated money for this purpose. The U.S. Life-Saving Service was the government representation charged with carrying out rescues from shore .
Each place had a keeper, often called “ Captain, ” who had overall duty for the station. He was chosen for his skill as a boatman coupled with his ability to read and write. The keeper supervised a crew of six to eight surfmen hired from the local community. The main qualification for a surfman was the ability to row an open gravy boat in a storm. The surfmen were ranked by skill, the best homo being # 1, while the least experienced would be # 6, # 7 or # 8, depending on the size of the crew. The men worked their means up through the ranks. On the Great Lakes, the surfmen worked during the embark season from April to mid-December, while the keeper worked year-round .
Aerial view of the US Coast Guard Station Maritime Museum
The Sleeping Bear Point Life-Saving Station
By the turn-of-the-century, there were about sixty life-saving stations along the Great Lakes. This included one at Point Betsie, about 19 miles southwest of Sleeping Bear Point, and one on North Manitou Island about 15 miles union of Sleeping Bear Point .
The Manitou Passage, the channel between the Manitou Islands and the mainland, was a heavily-used ship lane. Ships traveling between Chicago and the Straits of Mackinac favored the Manitou Passage over the receptive waters of Lake Michigan because of the shorter outdistance and entree to the harbor-of-refuge on South Manitou Island. however, the waters of the Manitou Passage could be punic and shipwrecks occurred frequently. In 1901, two identical life-saving stations were constructed to guard the Manitou Passage, one on South Manitou Island and one at Sleeping Bear Point.
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Over the years, technical developments such as radios, radar and helicopters reduced the need for many life-saving stations. The Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station closed during World War II and stood idle until 1971 when it served briefly as the visitor center for the newly-established Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. For respective summers rangers led tours in the empty place, interpreting the U.S. Life-Saving Service and Great Lakes nautical history. then in 1982 and 1983 the locate undergo historic restoration. The grounds and the buildings were restored to their 1931 appearance, except for the interior of the boathouse and the crew ‘s bedroom which were restored to the room they looked in the early on 1900s, during the first few years of the station ‘s being. In the spring of 1984 initiation of exhibits and furnishings was completed and the erstwhile Coast Guard place re-opened as a nautical museum. The official commitment took place with a gala ceremony on Coast Guard Day, August 4, 1984 .
The life-saving stations played an significant function in local communities, assisting in many ways beyond their official functions. The surfmen became tribe heroes, greatly respected for their courage and skill. Neighbors frequently came by to watch their drills, particularly the boating practice. This involved not only rowing in the surf, but besides intentionally capsizing the boat and then righting it. The constant practice paid off in a crisis. From the time of its establishment in 1871 until it became separate of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, the U.S. Life-Saving Service rescued over 178,000 people. Its success rate was an astonishing 99 % .
School groups or other large groups may make arrangements prior to their visit for a commando to guide them through the museum and boathouse. Please call 231-326-4700 for more data .
