Construction of White Shoal Light began in 1908, replacing Lightship LV56 that had bobbed on station for years. Building a permanent lighthouse miles from shore on a submerged shoal was, as engineers of the era described it, a "major engineering feat" -- comparable in difficulty to the construction of nearby Waugoshance Light decades earlier. Workers built the crib pier in St. Ignace, then transported it by ship to the site. The keeper's house, fog signal building, and tower all rose atop this artificial island. A diaphone fog signal was installed alongside a submersible bell that tolled the number 23 to warn approaching mariners, an audible precursor to the RACON radar technology that would later be installed at the same location. The final cost came in at $225,000, under the $250,000 budget -- a rare feat for any government construction project. The light was officially commissioned on September 1, 1910.

The heart of White Shoal Light was its optic: a massive 2nd Order Fresnel lens manufactured by Barbier, Benard & Turenne of Paris. The lens featured a bi-valve configuration with two sides, each containing seven refracting and fifteen reflecting prisms, all precisely arranged to focus the light into a beam visible for miles. What made the mechanism remarkable was its rotation system -- the entire lens assembly floated on a bed of liquid mercury, turned by a clockwork mechanism suspended in the tower. This nearly frictionless arrangement allowed the heavy glass apparatus to spin smoothly, generating 1.2 million candlepower. Similar lenses were installed at Grosse Point Light -- the only remaining 2nd Order Fresnel still operating on the Great Lakes -- and Rock of Ages Light. White Shoal's light was automated in 1976, ending the era of resident keepers.

White Shoal Light stands alone among American lighthouses for its distinctive diagonal red and white striped daymark. While Cape Hatteras Light and St. Augustine Light sport black and white helical patterns, no other lighthouse in the country wears the bold candy-cane coloration that has made White Shoal famous. The aluminum-topped lantern room is equally singular -- it is the only aluminum-capped lighthouse on the Great Lakes, where cast iron is the norm. This combination of striking color and unusual materials has made White Shoal Light one of the most photographed, painted, and illustrated lighthouses in America. It has even been rendered in needlepoint. The State of Michigan recognized its power as a symbol and placed the lighthouse prominently on the "Save Our Lights" specialty license plate, the proceeds of which fund lighthouse preservation across the state. Michigan is the only state with such a program, providing annual grants to local preservation groups.

In September 2016, the General Services Administration auctioned White Shoal Light. The winning bid of $110,009 came from the White Shoal Light Historical Preservation Society, based in Traverse City, Michigan. The Society took ownership and began offering public access -- boat tours ranging from short excursions to full-day trips with meals and even overnight stays at the lighthouse, beginning in July 2019. Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state -- over 150 past and present -- and the network of preservation societies, volunteers, and organizations working to maintain them is unmatched. The Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy and the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association both operate from within the state. White Shoal's survival is part of that larger effort, a commitment to keeping the lights that once guided Great Lakes commerce from disappearing into the water that surrounds them.

In one of those delightful incongruities that make American geography interesting, a scaled-down replica of White Shoal Light stands not on the Great Lakes but in the Arizona desert. Built on Lake Havasu at Lake Havasu City -- the same town that purchased London Bridge -- the miniature lighthouse sits on the Lake Havasu Island Golf Course. Operational and equipped with a red light flashing sixty times per minute, it was dedicated on November 2, 2008, built by Jack Hensley and members of the Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club. The original, meanwhile, continues its work in far harsher conditions, its red and white stripes visible to anyone crossing northern Lake Michigan -- a barber pole standing watch where the water runs dangerously thin.