Between the building of the first lighthouse in 1853 and the early 1870s, Tawas Point grew more than a mile to the southwest as blowing, shifting sand steadily changed its shape, leaving the light useless as an aid to navigation. Because the harbor of Tawas, near the mouth of Saginaw Bay, was greatly valued and often used for refuge, Congress appropriated $30,000 in 1875 for a new lighthouse, and the current lighthouse was built in 1876. Schooners such as Boscobel and Buckeye State carried vast amounts of lumber from Tawas sawmills, and increasing traffic in lumber, iron ore, grain, and other commodities made lighthouses at Tawas Point critical for safe navigation.