first female lighthouse keeper in oregon

But this did not stop them from serving well or often better than their male counterparts, according to Majher. For instance, there was never a uniform designed for women. However, the lighthouse service didn’t expect women to stay on the job long. “Generally speaking, the lighthouse service thought that widows could probably take that job on because they had probably been assisting their husbands all along.” “The first female lighthouse keeper in Michigan, Catherine Shook, started her job in 1849, and she came into that job as many women did, she succeeded her deceased husband, who died while in service,” Majher said. They worked in this industry at a time when employment for women was difficult to come by, especially through the federal government, which oversaw lighthouses.

While around half of those keepers were assistants to their husbands, the other half were the primary lighthouse servicers themselves. Majher grew up in Bay City, which is home to a lighthouse and two of Michigan’s more than 50 female lighthouse keepers. Lighthouse Service, about their work and lives. As Women’s History Month draws to a close, we talked with Patricia Majher, author of Ladies of the Lights: Michigan Women in the U.S. Their stories have not always made it into the spotlight - or lighthouse beam - and one author is here to change that. While many men led this life, Michigan has a long, beautiful history of female lighthouse keepers. When you think of a lighthouse keeper, you may think of a stoic, bearded man a la The Lighthouse with Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. In fact, the Great Lakes state, with its expansive shorelines, boasts the most in the country. Michigan has more than its fair share of lighthouses.

First female lighthouse keeper in oregon