Lighthouse and catwalk on Algoma's North Pier, May 14, 2026. PC: Fox 11 Online
ALGOMA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — When you think of Algoma, you may think about the red lighthouse near the shore of Lake Michigan.
Some residents say you shouldn’t forget about the catwalk.
“The catwalk is really part of Algoma’s maritime history,” said Jacqueline Toepfer, ‘Save the Algoma Catwalk’ Committee Treasurer & Secretary.
A two-year reconstruction project for the North Pier will start Monday, May 18.
Roen Construction will preserve the lighthouse and return it upon completion.
As of now, without community intervention, the catwalk won’t be preserved.
So, the ‘Save the Algoma Catwalk’ committee was formed.
“We really want to maintain this, preserve it for the aesthetic, but really to continue to tell that story of Algoma’s maritime history,” said Toepfer.
Built in 1908, the catwalk no longer serves any functional purpose.
However, the committee says it’s part of Algoma’s legacy.
“The catwalk really has, through the years, blended a beautiful aesthetic to a harbor. It’s been photographed so many times,” said Toepfer.
“One of the early things we had to do was go to the Army Corps of Engineers and get permission to put it back after the construction, the reconstruction of the pier, which we got, then we got the city’s blessing to put it back,” said Tom Levy, ‘Save the Algoma Catwalk’ Committee Co-Chairman.
The committee is working on getting the catwalk added to the National Historic Register.
That would open up grant funding opportunities.
In the meantime, private donations are keeping their hopes of preserving the catwalk alive.
“The goal is half a million dollars to completely rehabilitate what’s there. Put it back,” said Levy.
So far, the committee has raised $14,000.
When reconstruction begins the steel arches of the catwalk will be removed. What cannot be preserved will be recycled.
The lighthouse is expected to be removed from the pier in June.
Comments