Our Heritage:
Education and Recreation Opportunities

By Donald J. Wirth

Majestic — and beautiful!

On Chicago's north shore stands a dramatic example of how an outmoded facility built over a century ago was transformed so it could play an exciting part of modern day education and recreation.

Evanston's historic Grosse Point Light Station, once a vital sentinel for Lake Michigan's lucrative shipping, began to assume a diminishing role by the end of the 19th century. A few decades into this century, it was all but forgotten and left to deteriorate.

A few years ago persons with imagination began to take notice of this unusual landmark that bespoke a way of life long gone and the heyday of Great Lakes shipping commerce. Their thoughts turned to restoration.

Although the idea was judged to have merit, activation posed serious problems. Like most communities, Evanston claimed it had limited funds for the construction of recreational and educational facilities. Some creative thinking was in order if this physical resource was to be presented as germane to modern needs and considerations.

Before detailing services currently being provided at this site which is now listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, it is useful to step back in history and learn how the lighthouse came about. The Grosse Point Lighthouse was built by the U.S. Government in 1873. Although it was the lead lighthouse marking the approach to the City of Chicago, it was built only after a series of shipwrecks clearly demonstrated the need. The promontory on which it stands was named Grosse Pointe by French traders of the 17th century. Over the years, the French "e" on Pointe was dropped when referring to the lighthouse.

According to documented travels, voyageurs of Father Jacque Marquette and trader Louis Joliet paddled past the Pointe in 1673 on their return from discovery and exploration of the Mississippi River. It is probable that Marquette camped on the Pointe when the voyageurs returned to Illinois in December of the following year.

For over 150 years the large fur trade canoes of the voyageurs remained the only link for this part of the country to Montreal and Europe. With the signing of the Indian treaties, canoes were gradually replaced by lake schooners. And, by 1870 over 12,000 ships entered and left the Port of Chicago annually.

Like the voyageurs, these early lake captains steered a course along the shore where the shoals off the Pointe spelled danger. While the historical records are incomplete, numerous ships were known to have sunk there as a direct result of the shallow water and the turbulency created over the shoals by winds.

One of the bigger recorded shipwrecks happened in 1860 between the Lady Elgin, a passenger steamer, and the schooner, Auguste. The Lady Elgin broke up and was blown toward the shore by strong winds. The collision took place off Winnetka's shore but by daybreak Evanston's shores were lined with people watching with horror as victims tried desperately to reach land through the high waves. One Northwestern University student accounted for 17 of the 30 people rescued from a reef. Nearly 3,000 persons lost their lives in this accident.

After a number of similar tragic incidents, Evanston citizens successfully petitioned Congress to erect a lighthouse on Grosse Pointe. Although construction was delayed by the Civil War, it was finally completed in 1873.

Between 1874 and 1932, Crosse Point Lighthouse warned thousands of lake-going vessels. Then, the fog houses were disconnected and the day-to-day use of a

Donald J. Wirth has been Director of the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Departments for the City of Evanston since 1973. During his tenure many major facilities have been funded, constructed and programmed including the Robert Crown Community and Ice Center, the Ecology Center, the 17-acre Lovelace Park and the two and one-half acre South Boulevard Beach. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Illinois, has served on the Board of Directors for IPRS and also belongs to NRPA. His hobbies are skiing, boating and jogging. He and his wife are also active members of a play reading group.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 4 May/June 1981

lighthouse keeper was discontinued. Its usefulness for navigation virtually ended, the lighthouse was deeded by the Federal Government to the City of Evanston under a terminable grant. The City then leased the area to the small North East Park District within the City's borders. During the 1940's and 1950's, the lighthouse, its two fog houses and the keeper's quarters gradually deteriorated.

In 1976 the City of Evanston completed a comprehensive study of the lighthouse site and some adjacent facilities which included two small parks, a not-for-profit art center and a beach. It became apparent that the area, then known as the Lighthouse Complex, had a use potential that was barely scratched. A consortium of organizations and individuals came together to begin a long term historical restoration effort.

The Junior League of Evanston became a catalyst for this project by pledging in excess of $60,000 over a three-year period. In addition to the funds for brick and mortar, the league members enthusiastically began to engage in research and fund raising activities. Meanwhile, the North East Park District adopted the new name of Lakefront Park District and received a LAWCON grant and some City Revenue Sharing funds to partially cover renovation of the keeper's quarters and the lighthouse. The city committed a total of $60,000 in Revenue Sharing Funds and considerable staff time for the coordination of the total restoration project.

Part of the project involves an adoptive restoration of Jens Jensen landscaping to the area. However, the greatest emphasis supports the rehabilitation of the lighthouse site to include the two fog houses, the keeper's quarters and the connecting structure between the keeper's quarters and the lighthouse.

After accumulating some $70,000 from foundations and individuals. Phase I of the rehabilitation of the fog houses got underway. When completed, one fog house will be a Natural History Museum and the other will be a Visitor/Maritime Center. These facilities will house exhibits and offer classes emphasizing the history and ecology of the lake.

In phases II and III, for which fund raising is underway, the completed keeper's quarters and connecting corridor to the lighthouse will provide the opportunity to interpret the nineteenth century life of the lighthouse keeper and his neighbors.

Other interpretive and environmental educational services are generated at the lighthouse site. One of the more significant is the Voyageur Program. These modern day voyageurs mirror the activities that their predecessors undertook four centuries ago. Two Montreal canoes, 34 and 26 feet in length, provide the basic equipment utilized by the Evanston Grosse Point Voyageur expeditions which extend the length of Lake Michigan.

Lighthouse tours are offered weekends, spring through fall. Conducting them is a "lighthouse keeper" attired in apparel appropriate to such work a century ago. At the conclusion of the tour, the award-winning film, "Lighthouse," is screened for visitors. This movie, produced locally, presents the history and evolution of the Grosse Point Light Station.

The grounds at the foot of the lighthouse and at the edge of the adjoining city beach, are the site of an archeological dig. Already the work has uncovered the original pier piling where the government supply ships unloaded goods for the Grosse Point Light Station in days gone by. Other artifacts are being preserved for exhibit in the future Visitor/Maritime Center. Members of the Youth Conservation Corps restored a portion of the pier this past summer. It is now being used in environmental education programs.

One of the major environmental education thrusts is a camp of 150 children that study the wild-flower garden at the base of the Grosse Point Lighthouse and other flora and fauna in the adjacent area. Bird and wildflower lovers also frequent the site.

We of the City of Evanston are proud of the new services that we are able to provide by the creative use of this restored historical area. Not only are we preserving these sites for posterity, but we are now able to offer new recreational and educational services to the public without constructing costly new facilities or purchasing hard-to-obtain new land.

Grosse Point lighthouse keeper's quarters—now the Lighthouse Nature Center

Illinois Parks and Recreation 5 May/June 1981