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 Lake Superior FACTS Charter Fishing Marina/Harbor Artists’ Point 
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 Marina/HarborThe naturally protected bay that is now the Grand Marais Harbor received its name from early French traders, referring to the “great marsh” that ran along the shore. Today, the harbor is the centerpiece of Grand Marais. It provides the reassuring sense of continuum that so intrigues and captures everyone who observes its beauty. The Grand Marais Harbor is the most picturesque sight on Lake Superior, and it’s the inviting refuge that helps you make friends with the powerful and often tempestuous Big Lake beyond. Impossible to imagine how many photos have been taken with sailboats at rest, lake gulls in flight and the rising and setting sun and moon. The original lighthouse, funded in 1885 with $9,552 from the U.S. Congress, was lighted for the first time on September 1st of that year. It was a wooden structure; the beacon (designed to burn gas or mineral oil) was framed at the Detroit lighthouse depot grounds and the fog bell and striker apparatus had been used at Passage Island, Isle Royale. Of course, Lake Superior put the somewhat cobbled-up structure to many tests. By 1888, major repairs were needed, and often after that. The existing Grand Marais Lighthouse was first lit in 1922 and is a steel skeletal house. Its optic lens is the same fifth order Fresnel built by Sautter & Co. in Paris that was installed in the original lighthouse. That beam is a wonderful connection to the first days of our most recognizable symbol, and it’s still an active aid to navigation. The Grand Marais Municipal Marina continues the tradition of welcoming boaters to our harbor town. Located behind the inner breakwall, the marina offers a full range of boater services including pump-out, fuel and public access. Guest dockage and mooring balls may be arranged through the municipal marina, which monitors VHF channel 16 and answers to "Grand Marais Marina". A total of three public access ramps service the harbor and should make getting on the big lake a breeze! For additional information, call the Grand Marais Area Tourism Association: |