Lighthouses have been a part of the Great Lakes maritime history ever since the early settlers moved westward and into the Upper Great Lakes region of the United States. Their light beams have guided ships to safety during the nastiest of storms, and at times the lighthouse keepers staged daring rescues that made them true heroes of the Great Lakes. In recent years, lighthouses have become major tourist attractions, and restoration has seen them returned to their original splendor. Every year, thousands of visitors hear their heroic tales and listen to the eerie ghost stories that seem to go hand and hand with the isolation and solitude of life in a lighthouse.