The first light at South Haven was erected in 1872 at the end of a 225 foot wooden pier that had been in use since 1861. The square pyramid wooden structure consisted of two rooms mounted on a raised platform, with the bottom room for oil storage and the top room housing the lamp. The lamp was lit at ten minutes before sunset, changed by midnight because the first lamp’s oil was nearly depleted, and extinguished at sunrise. Measuring 37'6" from the lake level to the tip of the flame, the beacon could ordinarily be seen from 11 to 15 miles depending on weather conditions.