Raspberry Island Light

Raspberry Island Light
Location Raspberry Island, Wisconsin
Coordinates 46°58′13.2″N 90°48′17.47″W / 46.970333°N 90.8048528°W / 46.970333; -90.8048528Coordinates: 46°58′13.2″N 90°48′17.47″W / 46.970333°N 90.8048528°W / 46.970333; -90.8048528[1]
Year first lit 1862
Automated 1947
Foundation Stone
Construction Wood
Tower shape Square, attached white bldg. w/red roof
Markings / pattern white w/black trim & lantern
Height 43 feet (13 m)
Focal height 77 feet (23 m)[2]
Original lens Fifth order Fresnel lens
Range 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi)[1]
Characteristic Fl W 2.5s[1]
ARLHS number USA-688
USCG number 7-15555
Heritage Contributing property Edit this on Wikidata
The original lens is on display at the Madeline Island Historical Museum

The Raspberry Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on the southern part of Raspberry Island, marking the west channel of the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, near the city of Bayfield. It was erected in 1862, marking the western channel.

History

It is said to be one of the few surviving wood framed lighthouses left on Lake Superior. The complex includes a square tower rising up from the attached Lighthouse keeper's quarters, a brick fog signal building, frame barn, brick oil house, boathouse, two outhouses, and a dock.[3]

The light was automated in 1947 and was later transferred to the National Park Service as part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, part of reference number 77000145. Listed in the Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey, WI-312. The original Fresnel lens is on display at the Madeline Island Historical Museum.

The old battery system in the fog signal building was replaced by a solar powered 300 mm Tideland Signal acrylic optic atop a pole, which continues to light the island to this day.[4] The location is an active aid to navigation, with a characteristic white flash every 2.5 seconds.[5]

Access

Most of the Apostle Islands light stations may be viewed (but not accessed) on the Apostle Islands Cruise Service water taxi or by private boat during the summer.[6] During the Annual Apostle Island Lighthouse Celebration[7] Ferry tour service is available for all the lighthouses. In the tourist season, park rangers are on the island to greet visitors.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
  2. ↑ Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes".
  3. ↑ Wobser, David, Raspberry Island Light, Boatnerd
  4. ↑ Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Raspberry Island Lighthouse".
  5. ↑ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Northern Wisconsin". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  6. ↑ Apostle Islands Cruise Service.
  7. ↑ Apostle Island Lighthouse Celebration.
  8. ↑ Wobser, David, La Pointe Light, Boatnerd Originally in Great Laker Magazine.

Further reading

  • Havighurst, Walter (1943) The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes, Macmillan Publishers.
  • Oleszewski, Wes, Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
  • Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes".
  • Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3.
USCG archive photo
1940s overview of the Raspberry Island Light Station
Raspberry Island Light Station from Lake Superior
  • Aerial photos of Raspberry Island Light, Marina.com
  • Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey Survey number HABS WI-312
  • Madeline Island Historical Museum
  • Lighthouse friends, Raspberry Island Light article
  • National Park Service Maritime History Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin - Raspberry Island Light Station
  • Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
  • "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Wisconsin". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
  • Lighthouse Restored Video produced by Wisconsin Public Television
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