Ottawa Point, now called Tawas Point, juts into Lake Huron, creating a navigation hazard while also sheltering Tawas Bay and protecting ships from strong north or northeast winds. In 1850, the federal government set aside $5000 to build a lighthouse near the end of Ottawa Point, and the Lighthouse Service paid Daniel S. Ellethorpe $200 for the 30-acre property. Construction began sometime after December 12, 1852. The lighthouse marked the point so mariners could avoid it or seek refuge during storms. In 1876, the U. S. Lifesaving Service established a station at Ottawa Point. The first Tawas Point lighthouse was a short tower with a wide base, a tall lantern room, and tower windows that provided natural light for the stairway. The Ottawa Point Lighthouse joined other lighthouses built on the American shore of Lake Huron before the Civil War: Fort Gratiot in Port Huron in 1825, Thunder Bay Island in 1832, Bois Blanc in 1839, Presque Isle in 1840, Saginaw Bay in 1841, Point Aux Barques in 1847, Detour in 1847, Cheboygan in 1851, Ottawa Point in 1853, and Charity Island in 1857.