Sanibel Island Light: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:SanibelIslLight.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Sanibel Island Light January 26, 2006]] |
[[Image:SanibelIslLight.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Sanibel Island Light January 26, 2006]] |
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The '''Sanibel Island Light''' or '''Point Ybel Light'''<ref>{{Cite web|url= |
The '''Sanibel Island Light''' or '''Point Ybel Light'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sanibel-captiva.org/sanibel-island-arts-entertainment/sanibel-island-places-to-go-to/|accessdate=19 September 2014}}</ref> is the first lighthouse on [[Florida]]'s [[Gulf of Mexico|Gulf]] coast north of [[Key West]] and the [[Dry Tortugas]]. It is located on the eastern tip of [[Sanibel Island]], and was built to mark the entrance to San Carlos Bay for ships calling at the port of [[Punta Rassa, Florida|Punta Rassa]], across San Carlos Bay from Sanibel Island. The grounds are open to the public, but the lighthouse itself is not.<ref name=SanCap/> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Revision as of 17:41, 19 September 2014
 The Sanibel Island Light Station in 1933. | |
 | |
| Location | East end of Sanibel Island |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 26°27′11″N 82°00′50″W / 26.453°N 82.014°W |
| Tower | |
| Foundation | iron pile |
| Construction | iron |
| Automated | 1949 |
| Height | 98 feet (30 m) feet (102 feet (31 m) above sea level) |
| Shape | Square, pyramidal, skeleton, iron framework, inclosing stair-cylinder and surmounted by lantern |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place  |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1884[1] |
| Focal height | 31 m (102 ft) |
| Lens | third order Fresnel lens |
| Range | 13 nmi (24 km; 15 mi) |
| Characteristic | 1901: fixed white varied by a white flash every 2 minutes; 1933: two grouped white flashes every 10 seconds |
Sanibel Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters | |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000648 |
The Sanibel Island Light or Point Ybel Light[2] is the first lighthouse on Florida's Gulf coast north of Key West and the Dry Tortugas. It is located on the eastern tip of Sanibel Island, and was built to mark the entrance to San Carlos Bay for ships calling at the port of Punta Rassa, across San Carlos Bay from Sanibel Island. The grounds are open to the public, but the lighthouse itself is not.[1]
History
Residents of Sanibel Island first petitioned for a lighthouse in 1833, but no action was taken. In 1856 the Lighthouse Board recommended a lighthouse on Sanibel Island, but Congress took no action. In 1877 government workers surveyed the eastern end of the island and reserved it for a lighthouse. Congress finally appropriated funds for a lighthouse in 1883. The foundation for the new lighthouse was completed in early 1884, but the ship bringing ironwork for the tower sank two miles (3 km) from Sanibel Island. A crew of hard-hat divers from Key West recovered all but two of the pieces for the tower.
Punta Rassa became an important port in the 1830s and remained so up to the Spanish-American War. It was primarily used to ship cattle from Florida to Cuba. Until the railroads reached the area in the 1880s, ranchers drove their cattle from open ranges in central Florida to Punta Rassa for shipment to Cuba.
The lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The Coast Guard leases the light station site to the city of Sanibel, Florida.
Notes
- ^ a b "History of The Sanibel Lighthouse". Retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ^ http://sanibel-captiva.org/sanibel-island-arts-entertainment/sanibel-island-places-to-go-to/. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)
References
- McCarthy, Kevin M. (1990). Florida Lighthouses, Paintings by William L. Trotter, Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida Press. ISBN 0-8130-0982-0.
- National Park Service Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Florida Lighthouses - retrieved February 7, 2006
- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Florida". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Retrieved February 7, 2006.
- Sanibel Island Lighthouse History - retrieved February 7, 2006
- AMATEUR RADIO LIGHTHOUSE SOCIETY - List of Lighthouse Coordinates - retrieved February 7, 2006
