Au Sable Light facts for kids
.jpg) |
|
| Au Sable Light complex in June 2021 | |
| Location | Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 46°40′23″N 86°08′21.6″W / 46.67306°N 86.139333°W |
| Year first constructed | 1874 |
| Year first lit | 1874 |
| Automated | 1958 |
| Foundation | Wood pilings |
| Construction | Brick, Italianate bracketing |
| Tower shape | Frustum of a cone |
| Markings / pattern | White with black lantern |
| Height | 87 feet (27 m) |
| Focal height | 107 feet (33 m) |
| Original lens | Third-order Fresnel lens (original), 12-inch (300 mm) acrylic (current) |
| Range | 11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi) |
| Characteristic | Flashing white every 6 s |
_from_Log_Slide_overlook.jpg)
The Au Sable Light is a working lighthouse located in the beautiful Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. You can find it west of Grand Marais, Michigan, just off H-58. For a while, until 1910, people called it "Big Sable Light." This was different from other lighthouses like Big Sable Point Light or Little Sable Point Light.
Contents
History of the Lighthouse
The Au Sable Light Station was built in 1874. It stands on Au Sable Point, a very dangerous spot on Lake Superior. This area was known as the "shipwreck coast."
Why the Lighthouse Was Needed
The Au Sable Point reef is a shallow ridge of sandstone. In some places, it's only 6 feet (1.8 m) below the water. This reef stretches almost 1 mile (1.6 km) into Lake Superior. It was one of the biggest dangers for ships sailing along the south shore of Lake Superior. In the early days, ships often stayed close to land for navigation. The Au Sable Point reef was a "ship trap." Many ships got stuck there, including the passenger ship Lady Elgin in 1859.
The shoreline here is very beautiful. But in the 1800s, it was very deadly. There were hidden dangers below the surface. Also, violent storms and thick fogs made sailing difficult. The reef caused strong waves when storms came from the north. Cold lake air mixing with warm sand dunes created dense fogs. French explorers even called this region "most dangerous when there is any storms" as early as 1622.
The lighthouse also filled a "dark spot" in the 80 miles (130 km) stretch of water. This was between Granite Island Light and Whitefish Point Light.
Who Designed the Lighthouse?
Colonel Orlando Metcalfe Poe designed the lighthouse tower. He also designed the attached keepers' quarters. Colonel Poe was a District Engineer for the Eleventh Lighthouse District. He designed eight "Poe style lighthouses." He also oversaw the building of several of them.
Some of his other lighthouse designs include:
- New Presque Isle Light (1870) on Lake Huron
- Lake Michigan's South Manitou Island Light (1872)
- Grosse Point Light (1873) in Evanston, Illinois
- Racine, Wisconsin's Wind Point Light (1880)
- Outer Island Light (1874) in the Apostle Islands
- Little Sable Point Light (1874) on Lake Michigan
- Manistique, Michigan's Seul Choix Light (1895)
- Spectacle Reef Light
What the Lighthouse Looks Like
The lighthouse tower is a white brick cone shape. It has a black top where the light shines. A red brick house for the keepers stands next to the lighthouse.
Originally, the lighthouse used a special Fresnel lens. This lens helped make the light very bright and visible. This original lens is now on display at the light station. In 1958, the lighthouse became automated. This means it no longer needed a keeper to operate it. Today, it uses a 12-inch (300 mm) solar-powered light.
Other Buildings at the Station
Over the years, more buildings were added to the lighthouse complex:
- A wooden boathouse was built in 1875.
- A building for the fog signal was added in 1897.
- The keepers' quarters were changed into a duplex (two separate living spaces) in 1909.
- A steel oil house was built in 1915 to store fuel.
- There is also a second brick keepers' house from 1909.
- A kerosene storage shed from 1895.
- Two brick outhouses from 1874 and 1909 (only one remains).
- A wooden woodshed and boathouse from 1875.
- A brick cistern (for collecting water).
- A two-vehicle wood frame garage from 1954.
Most of these buildings are still standing today.
The Lighthouse Today
The keeper's house has been updated. The lower floor now has a visitor center. The upper floor is an apartment for volunteer caretakers.
In 1996, the original Fresnel lens was brought back to the tower. It had been on display for 39 years at the Grand Marais Maritime Museum. However, a different, smaller lens is currently used for the light. The old steam whistle and airhorn that warned ships have been removed.
You can visit the lighthouse tower in the summer. The National Park Service maintains the complex. The United States Coast Guard still operates the automated light. The National Park Service wants to keep the lighthouse complex looking like it did in 1909–10. This was when it first operated with two lighthouse keepers.
The Light Station is part of the National Park Service's Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The Au Sable Light Station is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
To visit this lighthouse, take 
H-58 from the Hurricane River Campground. This campground is 12 miles (19 km) west of Grand Marais, Michigan. From the campground, it's about a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) walk on a sand trail to reach the lighthouse.
See also
- Lighthouses in the United States
