Harbor Beach, Michigan, provides the only safe haven on the western coast of Lake Huron between the St. Clair River and Tawas Bay - a distance of 115 miles. The effort was entirely man-made and took several years, beginning with the construction of an artificial harbor defined by a large breakwater. Construction began in 1873 and was completed in 1885. The result is the largest man-made freshwater harbor in the world. A wood skeleton lighthouse was added in 1877. It was replaced by the current lighthouse in 1885. Today, the city of Harbor Beach owns the lighthouse and the Harbor Beach Lighthouse Preservation Society operates tours and does preservation work, including the installation of a replica Fresnel lens and a replica of the equipment building that housed equipment for the fog signal. Bathing Beach Park has a pier which offers the best place to view the lighthouse from land.