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At the fundraiser, Jeffery Loman, center, pays tribute to the original members of the Huron Island Lighthouse Preservation Association, represented by Marie, left, and Ron Stiebe. (Photo submitted)
Huron Island Lighthouse (newspaper file photo)
By journal staff
MARQUETTE – The Huron Island Lighthouse Preservation Association, a group of volunteers working in cooperation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Seney, considers their September 25 fundraiser at the Landmark Inn in Marquette a success.
HILPA depends on donations of money, supplies, and labor for projects that have been approved by USFWS. The lighthouse, built in 1868, is located on West Huron Island, also known as Lighthouse Island, in the Huron National Wildlife Refuge, located 3 miles off the mouth of the Huron River. The refuge is in Marquette County, but the nearest marina is in Skanee.
At the September 25 event, HILPA Administrator and Master of Ceremonies, Jeffery Loman, presented an award to Marie and Ron Stiebe, representing all of the founding members of HILPA. Their pioneering efforts stabilized the lighthouse and improved accessibility, HILPA said. He also recognized businessman Scott Holman, who bought and restored an identical lighthouse on Granite Island.
HILPA said Holman regaled the gathering with informative, inspiring and entertaining stories about the challenges and rewards of restoring a remote lighthouse on Lake Superior.
Loren Graham, who restored a lighthouse on Grand Island, couldn’t accept his award in person.
Cash donations of $ 20,000 from the Holman Family Foundation and $ 1,000 from the Ojibwa Casinos in the Keweenaw Bay Indian community, along with proceeds from the silent auction, will help HILPA achieve high priority preservation goals for the next season.
Entertainment was provided by musician Michael Waite and poet Kathleen M. Heideman.
For KBIC member Loman, a unique piece of Huron Island Lighthouse history is particularly important. According to HILPA, after President Theodore Roosevelt designated the Huron Islands as a national bird sanctuary in 1905 to protect large colonies of nesting herring gulls, lighthouse keeper Frank Witte, known as “Big Sneed”, was appointed keeper to protect the birds.
On several occasions, Witte used a shotgun to flee from Indians accustomed to collecting eggs.
Loman believes that preserving the history of acts that prevented Indians from exercising their treaty rights is necessary for the young tribesmen to understand how sacred these rights are today.
HILPA meetings are held at 6 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Village Gift Store, 104 N. Main St. in L’Anse, and through Zoom. Anyone interested in learning more about HILPA’s mission is welcome and can join HILPA as an annual or life member.
For more information on membership, contact Nancy Strohschein at 248-892-1295 or email [email protected]. Follow HILPA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HuronIslands.
HILPA is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit corporation formed to preserve the cultural, historical and architectural features of the Huron Island Lighthouse, ancillary buildings and adjacent properties for future generations.
For more information on the subject, contact Burt Mason at 517-294-7485 or email [email protected].
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At the fundraiser, Jeffery Loman, center, pays tribute to the original members of the Huron Island Lighthouse Preservation Association, represented by Marie, left, and Ron Stiebe. (Photo submitted)
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Huron Island Lighthouse (newspaper file photo)
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