Lighthouses of the United States: Northern Wisconsin

Douglas County (Superior Harbor) Lighthouse

* Superior Entry South Breakwater (Wisconsin Point)

1913. Active; focal plane 70 ft (21 m); green flash every 5 s. 56 ft (17 m) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to an unusual 2-story oval-shaped concrete keeper's quarters; DCB-24 aerobeacon (1970). Lighthouse painted white with bright red roofs; lantern and gallery rail are black. Fog horn (blast every 30 s) when needed. Two 2-1/2 story wood keeper's houses onshore. Bash's photo is above, Anderson has good photos, a 2009 photo is available, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. The Superior Entry is the natural outlet for Superior Bay, the lagoon that forms the harbors of Superior, Wisconsin, and Duluth, Minnesota. A small wood lighthouse was built on the north pier of the Entry (in Minnesota) in 1879 and relocated to the south pier in 1892. The present lighthouse was built at the end of new breakwater piers constructed in 1912. The Coast Guard put a new roof on the lighthouse in 2007 and repaired the eaves in 2009. Located at the end of the south breakwater of Superior, at the end of Wisconsin Point Road. There are good views from an adjoining natural area. Accessible (with difficulty) by walking the breakwater. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-829; USCG 7-15595.

Bayfield County (Western Apostle Islands) Lighthouses

** Sand Island

1881. Reactivated (inactive 1933-1985); focal plane 60 ft (18 m); white flash every 6 s. 40 ft (12 m) octagonal cylindrical sandstone tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-1/2 story Norman gothic sandstone keeper's house; DCB-24 aerobeacon (1980). Lantern painted black. Sibling of Chambers Island Light: lower half of the tower is square and upper half octagonal. Brick oil house. Larry Myhre's photo is above, the park service also has a page for the lighthouse, Anderson has photos, Bill Britten has a good photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a good satellite view. A handsome lighthouse, sometimes called the "jewel of the Apostles." The park service returned the light to the lighthouse in 1985, removing the skeletal tower that had carried it since 1933. Located on the northern tip of the island. Accessible only by boat; accessible in season by daily excursion boat and a 2-mile hike. Site open, tower open to tours in season. Owner: U.S. National Park Service. Site manager: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. ARLHS USA-722; USCG 7-15580.

*** Raspberry Island (2) 1906 (station established 1863). Inactive since 1957. 35 ft (10.5 m) square cylindrical wood tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story clapboard duplex keeper's house. The original 5th order Fresnel lens is on display at the Madeleine Island Museum. Lighthouse painted white, lantern and gallery black; roof is red. 1-1/2 story brick fog signal building (1903) with red metal roof; barn, oil house, and other buildings. The solar-powered active light (focal plane 58 ft; white flash every 2.5 s) is mounted on a post in front of the fog signal building. A park service photo is at right, the park service also has a page for the lighthouse, Anderson has photos, Bill Britten also has good photos of the light station, Marinas.com has aerial photos taken during the 2006 restoration, and Google has a satellite view. The present lighthouse is an expansion of the 1863 light, incorporating portions of the older building. Endangered by shoreline erosion, the light station was placed on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List in April 2000. In October, Congress appropriated $2 million for erosion control at Outer Island and Raspberry Island Lights. By summer 2003 that work had been completed at Raspberry Island. The Park Service carried out a $1.3 million restoration of the lighthouse itself during 2005-06, and the station reopened in 2007. Located on the southwestern point of Raspberry Island about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Point Detour on the mainland. Accessible only by boat: dock available and excursion boats visit the island daily in season. Site open, light station and tower open daily during the summer season. Owner: U.S. National Park Service. Site manager: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. ARLHS USA-688; USCG 7-15555.

Raspberry Island Light, September 2006 U.S. National Park Service photo

Ashland County: Eastern Apostle Islands Lighthouses

** Devils Island (2)

1901 (station established 1891). Active; focal plane 100 ft (31 m); red flash every 10 s. 71 ft (21.5 m) round cylindrical cast iron tower with square pyramidal steel bracing, lantern and gallery. The original 3rd order Fresnel lens was removed by Coast Guard in 1989 and then returned to the tower by the park service in 1992, but it is not in use; the active light is a solar-powered 190 mm lens mounted on the gallery. Tower painted white, lantern black. Two 2-story Queen Anne brick and wood keeper's houses (1891 and 1896), two brick oil houses, and other buildings. Original wood fog signal building. The tower also carries an array of weather instruments as a NOAA National Data Buoy Center C-MAN station. The park service also has a page for the lighthouse, Anderson has photos, Luiz Felipe de Castro has a good photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Lighthouse Digest has other historic photos in a September 2003 article, but Google has a good satellite view. Marking the northernmost point of the Apostle Islands, this lighthouse replaced an 1891 wooden tower and is a sibling of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Light (see below). The steel bracing was added in 1914 because high winds caused the tower to sway alarmingly. The Coast Guard has a 1913(?) historic photo of the lighthouse without the bracing, and Huelse has a historic postcard view also showing the original appearance of the station. Guided tours available in season. Located on the northern tip of Devils Island, about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Point Detour on the mainland. Accessible only by boat (dock available; water taxi service available in season). Site open, tower open to tours in season. Owner: U.S. National Park Service. Site manager: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. ARLHS USA-228; USCG 7-15565.

** Outer Island 1874 (O.M. Poe). Active; focal plane 130 ft (40 m); white flash every 10 s. 90 ft (27.5 m) round brick tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 2-1/2 story brick keeper's house; solar-powered 300 mm lens (1992). Tower painted white with black trim; lantern roof is also black. Frame fog signal building, original but modified; twin type F diaphone foghorns (1929) in place. A complete and well preserved light station. Guided tours available in season. The park service also has a page for the lighthouse, Anderson has photos, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a good satellite view. Endangered by shoreline erosion, the light station was placed on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List in April 2000. In October, Congress appropriated $2 million to save both the Outer Island and Raspberry Island Lights. However, the Park Service needed nearly all the money for Raspberry Island; more than $2 million more is needed for Outer Island. Located at the northern end of the island. Accessible only by boat (dock available; water taxi service available in season). Site open, tower open to tours in season. Owner: U.S. National Park Service. Site manager: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. ARLHS USA-572; USCG 7-15255. Gull Island 1928. Active; focal plane 56 ft (17 m); white flash every 10 s. 50 ft (15 m) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with gallery, painted black; 250 mm lens. No keeper's house; keepers at Michigan Island were responsible for maintenance until 1943. Anderson has photos, and Pepper has a photo, and the shadow of the tower is conspicuous in Google's satellite view. This light was maintained by the Michigan Island Light keepers. Located on a small island at the end of a sandbar about 1 mile (1.6 km) off the northeast tip of Michigan Island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. ARLHS USA-1065; USCG 7-15260. ** Michigan Island (1) 1857. Inactive 1858-1869 and since 1929. 64 ft (19.5 m) round brick tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-1/2 story brick keeper's house. The (3-1/2) order Fresnel lens (1869) is on display at the national lakeshore visitor center in Bayfield. Tower and keeper's house painted white; lantern is black. Austin Gruenweller's photo is at right, Anderson has photos, Lighthouse Digest has an article on the history of the light station, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the southwestern end of Michigan Island. Accessible only by boat (dock available; water taxi service available in season). Site open, tower open to guided tours in season. Owner: U.S. National Park Service. Site manager: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. ARLHS USA-947. * Michigan Island (2) 1880; relocated to this site in 1929. Active; focal plane 170 ft (52 m); white flash every 6 s. 102 ft (31 m) hexagonal pyramidal cast iron skeletal tower with central cylinder, lantern and gallery; 300 mm lens. 2-story brick keeper's house (1928), 1-1/2 story assistant keeper's house, barn, and other buildings. Tower painted white, lantern black. The national lakeshore's page has additional photos and information, Anderson also has a page for the lighthouse with several photos, Austin Gruenweller's photo is at right, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. A sibling of the Liston Range Rear Light in Delaware, this tower was relocated from Schooner Ledge on the Delaware River in Pennsylvania (the Coast Guard has a photo of the tower at its original location). Located adjacent to the older tower. Accessible only by boat (dock available; water taxi service available in season). Site open, tower closed. Owner: U.S. National Park Service. Site manager: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. ARLHS USA-494; USCG 7-15275.

older (top) and newer Michigan Island Lights, July 2007 Flickr Creative Commons photos by Austin Gruenweller

Ashland County: Long Island and Ashland Lighthouses

Chequamegon Point (1)

1896. Inactive since 1987. 42 ft (13 m) square pyramidal cast iron skeletal tower with lantern, gallery, and an enclosed workroom below the lantern. Lighthouse painted white, lantern roof red. Keeper's house burned. Lighthouse Digest has an article on the history of the light station, the national lakeshore has a page on all the Long Island lighthouses, Anderson has a page with good photos, a 2008 view from the lake is available, Marinas.com has aerial photos, the Coast Guard has a closeup historic photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the western end of Long Island, about 2/3 mile (1 km) west of LaPointe Light. A Coast Guard helicopter moved the tower back 150 ft (45 m) from the eroding shoreline in 1987. Accessible only by boat; water taxi service available in season. Site open, tower closed. Owner: U.S. National Park Service. Site manager: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

[Chequamegon Point (2)] 1987. Active; focal plane 33 ft (10 m); green flash every 4 s. Round cylindrical steel tower, painted white, with 300 mm lens at the top. This "D9" tower is similar to many others on the Great Lakes. Built next to the 1895 tower. Accessible only by boat; water taxi service available in season. Site open, tower closed. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. ARLHS USA-164; USCG 7-15295. [LaPointe (1)] 1858. Inactive since 1896 and abandoned since 1938. The building was expanded to 2-1/2 stories for use as a keeper's house in 1896, and the light tower was removed at that time. The building is now in ruins. Located on Long Island about 1/4 mile (400 m) east of Chequamegon Point and 3/4 mile (1.2 km) west of the 1896 LaPointe (2) Light. Site open. Owner: U.S. National Park Service. Site manager: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. LaPointe (2) 1896. Active; focal plane 70 ft (21 m); green light 3 s on, 3 s off. 65 ft (19.5 m) square pyramidal steel tower with lantern, double gallery, and central cylinder; 300 mm lens (1964). Sibling of Coney Island Light, New York. 2-story wood keeper's house (1938), brick oil house, iron oil house. Also at this site is the foundation of an 1891 fog signal building. Anderson has good photos, a wintry aerial photo is available, Marinas.com also has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. Lighthouse Digest also has an article on the history of the light station. Located on Long Island, in the mouth of Chequamegon Bay northeast of Washburn. Accessible only by boat; water taxi service available in season. Site open, tower closed. Owner: U.S. National Park Service. Site manager: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. ARLHS USA-423; USCG 7-15280. Ashland Breakwater 1915. Active; focal plane 60 ft (18 m); white flash every 6 s. 58 ft (17 m) square pyramidal reinforced concrete tower topped by cylindrical watch room and lantern; solar-powered 250 mm lens. Lighthouse is white; lantern dome painted red. Original 2-story wood keeper's house onshore (also living quarters in tower). Greg Minor's photo is at right, Schultheiss has an excellent closeup photo by Jim Lindho, Anderson has a page with a distant view, and Marinas.com has aerial photos, but Google has only a very distant satellite view of the breakwater. Built at the end of 1.5 mi (2.5 km) long detached breakwater that protects the harbor of Ashland. Accessible only by boat. There are views from Bayview Park, off US 2 east of downtown. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-019; USCG 7-15310.

Ashland Breakwater Light, March 2008 Flickr photo copyright Greg Minor; permission requested

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Minnesota | East: Western Upper Michigan

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Posted September 2002. Checked and revised January 27, 2012. Lighthouses: 12. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.