In 1872, Congress appropriated funds to build a U.S. Life-Saving Station at Pointe aux Barques, Michigan. The boathouse standing there is a Type 1875 U.S. Life-Saving Service boathouse built in 1876. Its first floor originally held life-saving equipment, including the surfboat, and its second-floor dormitory housed the crew. Behind the boathouse, the Captain's Quarters housed the station captain and his family, and a breezeway connected it to the boathouse and served as the place where the captain and crew ate their meals.