Tag: Lighthouse

Picture of the Day for June 12, 2021

Picture of the Day No Comments

The Cana Island Lighthouse is probably the most famous of the Door County lighthouses which sits on a 9 acre island with a 89 foot tall tower. The third order Fresnel lens was first lit on January 28, 1870 in the cream city brick tower. Storms and icy winters deteriorated the bricks so in 1902, a steel cladding was added to protect the tower. This weekend, the tower is open for visitors to climbs and enjoy the view from the cat walk. The light was automated in 1945.

A three hundred foot long natural causeway links the mainland to Cana Island, but the fluctuating level of Lake Michigan can cause it to be flooded, like it is right now. The highest point on the island is less than seven feet above the average lake level so flooding was a problem so an added breakwater running parallel to the shore helped to stop the waves flooding the keeper’s dwelling.

Cana Island Lighthouse

Cana Island Lighthouse

Picture of the Day for June 11, 2021

Picture of the Day No Comments

As people enjoy the various lighthouses during the lighthouse festival, things will be different because of the Covid restrictions and therefore you won’t be able climb the stairs up to the top of the Cana Island Lighthouse. There are 102 steps in the circular staircase to the lantern room of the tower which is 89 feet tall. Although built in 1869, there was no railing to help climb those stairs until 1890.

Going Up the Tower

Going Up the Tower

Picture of the Day for June 10, 2021

Picture of the Day No Comments

The three day Door County Lighthouse Festival begins tomorrow which hosts tours that reach all of the eleven lighthouses in the county, including ones that are normally closed to the public like this one at Sherwood Point which is used by the Coast Guard for rest.

Sherwood Point Lighthouse’s fourth-order Fresnel lens was first displayed in 1883 and is the only lighthouse in Door County built with red brick instead of the native limestone brick. It was the last manned lighthouse on the Great Lakes when after hundred years service it was automated in 1983.

Sherwood Point Lighthouse

Sherwood Point Lighthouse

Picture of the Day for July 31, 2020

Picture of the Day No Comments

On July 31, 1910, the the beacon of Split Rock Lighthouse was first lit. The lighthouse was built in response to the loss of ships due to the Mataafa Storm of 1905 on Lake Superior. There were no roads in the area so all materials and building supplies came by boats and had to be lifted to the top of the 133 foot cliff.

Lighting the Beacon

Lighting the Beacon

Picture of the Day for January 16, 2020

Picture of the Day No Comments

It will be a few months before the sight of a freighter vessel is seen leaving port on Lake Superior. The last two ships arrived in Superior port this morning and made their way through the ice to the docks. Although most of Lake Superior’s water is open, the ports have become iced over and with the Soo Locks closing yesterday, the vessels are stuck somewhere on Lake Superior until late March when the locks open again for freighter traffic.

Superior Freighter Season Over

Superior Freighter Season Over

Picture of the Day for November 10, 2019

Picture of the Day No Comments

Today marked the 44th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald in a November storm on Lake Superior with the loss of all 29 men aboard. The Fitzgerald passed by Split Rock Lighthouse as it left Superior harbor on that final voyage, and so this evening a ceremony was held at the lighthouse honoring the men lost by tolling a bell for each as their name was read and lighting the beacon (which is normally not lit since the lighthouse’s retirement).

Remembering the Sinking

Remembering the Sinking

Picture of the Day for October 10, 2019

Picture of the Day No Comments

This lighthouse is often the forgotten one of the three lights for the Duluth Harbor Canal as it doesn’t sit at the ends of the breakwater where the waves can smash against it and is not a fancy design. But is had an important function since there is only 300 feet between the piers, it could be hard to approach the entrance in poor conditions at the correct angle if this light didn’t sit higher at the inner end of the breakwater from the outer light to serve as a line to make the entry straight through the canal. This steel lighthouse replaced a timber structure and was first lit in 1901.

Duluth South Breakwater Inner Light

Duluth South Breakwater Inner Light

Proudly powered by WordPress & Skyrocket Themes

©  2024  SeS Photo, A Division of Share-e's Services, LLC

MENU

Navigation