Coordinates: 46°52′17.154″N 90°29′49.545″W / 46.87143167°N 90.49709583°W / 46.87143167; -90.49709583

Michigan Island Light

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Michigan Island Light
File:Newmich2.jpg
The current tower
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LocationMichigan Island, Wisconsin
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Constructed1857
FoundationConcrete
ConstructionSteel
Automated1943
Height118 feet (36 m)
ShapeWhite, Skeletal with a central column
Light
First lit1869
Focal height170 feet (52 m)
LensThird and half order Fresnel lens (original), 12-inch (300 mm)Tideland Signal ML-300 Acrylic Optic (current)
Range11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi)[1]
CharacteristicWhite, Flashing, 6 sec[1]
Michigan Island Light
Area33.8 acres (13.7 ha)
Built1857 (1857)
Built byU.S. Lighthouse Service
Part ofApostle Islands Lighthouses (ID77000145[2])
Designated CPMarch 8, 1977

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The Michigan Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse operated by the National Park Service and located on Michigan Island on western Lake Superior in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

History

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Two historical lighthouses have served as the Michigan Island light. The older was constructed in 1857, but not activated until 1869. It served until 1929, when it was replaced by a taller, 118-foot (36 m) skeletal tower, which is still operational.

The 3½-order Fresnel lens, coupled with a 24,000-candela electric light and the 170-foot (52 m) focal plane (aided by its placement on a cliff) aided by the tower's location atop the cliff, made the light range of visibility to a "remarkable 22 miles."[3] This was a relative rarity, being one of only a dozen used around the country, most of which were on the Great Lakes,[4] These lights were typically reserved for places that were an especially serious hazard to navigation. See, for example, Sturgeon Point Light. Other Great Lakes lights that had 3½-order Fresnel lenses were at (in alphabetical order): DeTour Reef, Eagle Bluff, Grays Reef, Huron Island, St. Helena Island, and Toledo Harbor.[4]

In 1972, the original Fresnel lens was replaced with a DCB-224 aero beacon[5] manufactured by the Carlisle & Finch Company. In turn, that was replaced by the 12-inch (300 mm)Tideland Signal ML-300 acrylic optic.[6] The restored Fresnel lens is on display at the visitor center of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Bayfield.[3]

The structure shares its design with towers at Rawley Point Light on Lake Michigan and Whitefish Point Light at Lake Superior's eastern end. However, the Michigan Island tower has a small brick building located at the base of the center tube, apparently a workroom for the early lighthouse keepers.[7]

Status

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Currently owned by the National Park Service and part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, it is a contributing property of the Apostle Islands Lighthouses, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.[2] It is also listed in the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, WI-317 (A-C).

Transportation

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Most of the Apostle Islands light stations can be reached on the Apostle Islands Cruise Service[8] water taxi or by private boat during the summer. During the Annual Apostle Island Lighthouse Celebration,[9] a ferry tour service is available for all the lighthouses. During the tourist season, volunteer park rangers are on many of the islands to greet visitors.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ a b Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Michigan Island Light (New).
  4. ^ a b Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light 3½-order Fresnel lens.
  5. ^ Aero beacon, Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light.
  6. ^ Tideland Signal 300 mm Acrylic Optic, Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light.
  7. ^ Wobser, David, Michigan Island Lights, Great Laker Magazine Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine, Boatnerd
  8. ^ Apostle Islands Cruise Service.
  9. ^ Apostle Island Lighthouse Celebration.
  10. ^ Wobser, David. La Pointe Light Archived 2009-01-07 at the Wayback Machine, Boatnerd Originally in Great Laker Magazine

Further reading

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  • Havighurst, Walter (1943) The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes, Macmillan Publishers.
  • Michigan Island: The Mistake that Became a Treasure. Lighthouse Digest (Mar 1999), pp. 21–24.
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  • Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  • Wobser, David, Michigan Island Lights, Great Laker Magazine Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine, Boatnerd
  • Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
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