Porch Notes
'Big Red': Holland's Beloved (and Not-Always-Red) Icon
Outdoors
Michigan’s shoreline is sprinkled with red lighthouses, but the most photographed and beloved of all may be Holland’s “Big Red,” standing where Lake Macatawa empties into Lake Michigan. With its twin gabled roofs — a nod to the town’s proud Dutch heritage — it’s one of the most recognizable images in the whole state.
Here’s the twist most people don’t know: Big Red wasn’t always red. The structure you see was built in 1907, and for decades it wore a plain, pale color. It only got its now-famous coat of bright red around 1956 — and not for charm, but for navigation: by maritime convention, the light marking that side of a channel entrance is supposed to be red.
The channel it guards has a remarkable backstory of its own. Holland was founded in 1847 by Dutch immigrants who knew their settlement needed a water route to Lake Michigan. When they couldn’t get the government to dig a channel, the settlers grabbed picks and shovels and dug one themselves. A lighthouse has marked that hard-won channel since 1870. When the Coast Guard wanted to abandon Big Red in 1970, locals once again rallied, forming a commission that preserves and cares for the landmark to this day.
Where to see it
Big Red sits on private land with limited access, but the views are easy: walk the boardwalk to the north pier at Holland State Park, directly across the channel, or climb the 200-plus steps up the Mt. Pisgah dune for a sweeping bird's-eye view.