Huron Island Light

Huron Island Light
	Huron Island Light as seen in 2006
Location	Lighthouse Island, Powell Township, Marquette County, offshore from Big Bay, Michigan
Coordinates	46°57′48″N 87°59′54″W / 46.96333°N 87.99833°W
Tower
Constructed	1868
Foundation	surface rock
Construction	granite/brick
Automated	1972
Height	39 feet (12 m)
Shape	square
Markings	natural with white lantern
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Light
First lit	1877 (current tower)
Focal height	197 feet (60 m)
Lens	3½-order Fresnel lens
Range	15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi)
Characteristic	White Fl 10 seconds
	Huron Islands Lighthouse
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Big Bay, Michigan
Area	less than one acre
NRHP reference No.	75000955
Added to NRHP	September 02, 1975

Huron Island Light is a lighthouse on Lake Superior near Big Bay, Michigan.^[2]^[3]^[4] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Huron Islands Lighthouse in 1975.^[1] It is on one of the Huron Islands Wilderness.^[5]

History

Reefs, shoals and islands presented an increasing danger to freighters as commerce developed in the area.^[6] This location lies astride a critical turning point—for vessels entering Huron Bay, Keweenaw Bay, or Portage Entry^[7]—and is often shrouded in fog.^[8] Beginning mid-nineteenth century, with the copper boom in the Keweenaw Peninsula, the Huron Islands were a navigational hazard to vessels following the coast to/from Portage River, Michigan.^[9]

In 1860 the side wheeler S.S. Arctic ran into the easternmost of the Huron Islands. The ship was lost, but passengers, crew and cattle were evacuated onto the island—still known as "Cattle Island" to this day from the marooned beasts.^[5]^[8] "Even though no lives were lost, the wreck became the final straw in the battle to get a lighthouse in this location."^[3]

In 1867, Congress appropriated $17,000 for a lighthouse located in the Huron Islands.^[3] The survey crew chose the highest point on Lighthouse Island, the westernmost of the group^[10] as the location for the light. With the exception of 205 feet (62 m) Grand Island North Light, this is the highest focal plane in the western Great Lakes.^[11] The lighthouse was constructed in 1868, along with a privy, oil house, boat dock, and tramway,^[8] and was first lit on October 20 of that year.^[3]

In 1881, two fog signal buildings were constructed about a half-mile away.^[3] Originally steam-powered, the steam whistles were converted to diaphones. Improvements were made in 1887, and again in 1891 to repair damage caused by a lightning strike.^[8] The light was upgraded to incandescent oil vapor in 1912, and in the 1930 the entire station was electrified.^[8] In 1961, a new barracks building was constructed and a solar-powered light installed.^[8] The lighthouse was automated in 1972, and the structure boarded.^[12] The light is still an active aid to navigation.^[2]

In 2006, the roof of the structure was replaced.^[12]

A private group, the Huron Island Lighthouse Preservation Association, P.O. Box 381, L'Anse, Michigan 49946, has been formed with an intent to save the light. It is recognized that this is an uphill battle, as members of the general public neither see the light nor have access to it.^[13] The organization is part of the Michigan Lighthouse Alliance.^[14]

Description

The light station is a duplicate of the one built at the same time on nearby Granite Island.^[8] Other sister designs include Gull Rock and Marquette Harbor lighthouses.^[4] The station is 11⁄2 stories tall and built from granite, with a square light tower, 39 feet (12 m) in height, integrated into the structure.^[8] The original light was a decagonal cast iron lantern with a 3½-order Fresnel lens.^[8]

It is owned by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.^[4]

Getting there

The light is accessible only by private or tour boat.^[4] This is the only island in the Huron Islands that is open to the public;^[15] however the lake is rough, cold, dangerous and punctuated by reefs and shoals,^[16] so the three mile trip should be undertaken with caution.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ ^a ^b Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 146.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Michigan". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Western Lower Peninsula". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
^ ^a ^b ^c Huron Islands Wilderness at Wilderness.net.
^ Lighthouse Central, Huron Island Light The Ultimate Guide to Upper Michigan Lighthouses by Jerry Roach. (Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC - 2007). ISBN 978-0-9747977-2-4.
^ Huron Island Lighthouse at Hunt's Guide to the Upper Peninsula.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Terry Pepper, Huron Islands Light, retrieved 12/20/2009
^ Wobser, David. Huron Islands Lighthouse at boatnerd.com
^ NOAA Chart 14964, Lake Superior:Big Bay Point to Redridge, Michigan; 1/120,000; 2004
^ Pepper, Terry. "Database of Focal Heights". Seeing the Light. terrypepper.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-30.
^ ^a ^b Major Effort Tops Huron Island Light (November, 2006) from the Lighthouse Digest; retrieved 12/20/2009
^ Efforts to Save Huron Island Lighthouse (October, 1999), Lighthouse Digest
^ About the Michigan Lighthouse Alliance, Michigan State Housing Development Authority.
^ Seney National Wildlife Refuge, United States Fish and Wildlife Service
^ Lighthouse Depot, Huron Islands Lighthouse.

External links

Aerial view at marinas.com.

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[lightlist-2] Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 146.

[cghist-3] "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Michigan". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.

[Rowlett-4] Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Western Lower Peninsula". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

[wilderness-5] Huron Islands Wilderness at Wilderness.net.

[6] Lighthouse Central, Huron Island Light The Ultimate Guide to Upper Michigan Lighthouses by Jerry Roach. (Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC - 2007). ISBN 978-0-9747977-2-4.

[7] Huron Island Lighthouse at Hunt's Guide to the Upper Peninsula.

[pepper-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Terry Pepper, Huron Islands Light, retrieved 12/20/2009

[Wobser-9] Wobser, David. Huron Islands Lighthouse at boatnerd.com

[10] NOAA Chart 14964, Lake Superior:Big Bay Point to Redridge, Michigan; 1/120,000; 2004

[focal-11] Pepper, Terry. "Database of Focal Heights". Seeing the Light. terrypepper.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-30.

[dep-12] Major Effort Tops Huron Island Light (November, 2006) from the Lighthouse Digest; retrieved 12/20/2009

[13] Efforts to Save Huron Island Lighthouse (October, 1999), Lighthouse Digest

[14] About the Michigan Lighthouse Alliance, Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

[15] Seney National Wildlife Refuge, United States Fish and Wildlife Service

[16] Lighthouse Depot, Huron Islands Lighthouse.

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Northern Upper Peninsula	Au Sable Big Bay Point Copper Harbor Copper Harbor Front Range Crisp Point Eagle Harbor Eagle Harbor Range Lights Eagle River Fourteen Mile Point Grand Island East Channel Grand Island Harbor Rear Range Grand Island North Grand Marais Range Lights Granite Island Gull Rock Huron Island Isle Royale Manitou Island Marquette Breakwater Outer Marquette Harbor Mendota (Bete Grise) Munising Front Range Munising Rear Range Ontonagon Ontonagon Harbor West Breakwater Portage River (Jacobsville) Passage Island Presque Isle Harbor Breakwater Light Rock Harbor Rock of Ages Sand Hills Sand Point Light (Baraga) St. Martin Island Stannard Rock Thunder Bay Island Whitefish Point
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St. Mary's River	Frying Pan Island Pipe Island Point Iroquois Round Island Light (St. Mary's River) Six Mile Point Range Rear Winter Point Range Front
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Historical (lost) lights	Au Sable North Pierhead Belle Isle Clinton River Ecorse Ecorse Range Rear Gibraltar Grassy Island Grassy Island North Channel Range Lights Grassy Island South Channel Range Lights Grosse Ile North Channel Range Lights Grosse Ile South Channel Range Lights Harwood Point East Range Front Kalamazoo River Mama Juda Mama Juda Range Front Manistee Main Middle Lake George Monroe Pier New Buffalo North Manitou Island Saginaw Bay Sand Beach North Entrance East Squaw Point St. Mary's River Lower Range Front Vidal Shoals Channel Range Front and Rear Lights Windmill Point Range Front and Rear Lights
Related	Lightship Huron List of lifesaving stations in Michigan Wixom Lake, Musselman Island lighthouse

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History

Description

Getting there

Further reading

References

External links