Eagle Harbor Light facts for kids
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| Location | Eagle Harbor, Eagle Harbor, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 47°27′35″N 88°9′33″W / 47.45972°N 88.15917°W |
| Year first constructed | 1851 |
| Year first lit | 1871 (current structure) |
| Automated | 1980 |
| Foundation | Dressed stone and timber |
| Construction | Brick |
| Tower shape | Octagonal |
| Markings / pattern | natural, black lantern |
| Height | Tower - 44 feet (13 m) |
| Focal height | 60 feet (18 m) |
| Original lens | Fourth order Fresnel lens (original), DCB-224 aero beacons (current) |
| Range | 29 nautical miles (54 km; 33 mi) |
| Characteristic | Alternating white and red 20s |
| Fog signal | Diaphone 1928-1978 none now |
The Eagle Harbor Light is a working lighthouse located in Eagle Harbor, Michigan. It stands on a rocky spot at the entrance to Eagle Harbor. This lighthouse helps guide boats safely on Lake Superior. It is especially important for ships traveling along the northern edge of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The first lighthouse here was built in 1851. However, the red brick building you see today replaced it in 1871. This lighthouse is now a special historic site in Michigan. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
History of the Lighthouse
Edward Taylor was the first person to see that Eagle Harbor could be a busy place for business. In 1844, he built a short wooden dock there. This dock helped supply the many miners working nearby. A rocky area with only eight feet of water blocked the harbor entrance. This made it hard for large ships to enter.
However, the "copper boom" meant more and more ships visited the dock. So, Taylor began to ask the government for money. He wanted to improve the entrance to the harbor.
The First Lighthouse
The original Eagle Harbor Light was built in 1851. It was a stone building where the lighthouse keeper lived. A square wooden tower was built into one end of the roof. The tower had an eight-sided wooden top with many glass windows. Inside, it used special lamps with reflectors to create light.
These lamps were about 21 feet above the building's foundation. Because the building was on high ground, the light shone about 47 feet above the lake.
The Current Lighthouse
By 1865, four different keepers had worked at the lighthouse. Some left, and one even passed away. The building itself was also starting to fall apart. So, in 1871, a new lighthouse was built. This new design had been used before for other lighthouses. Examples include the Chambers Island Lighthouse in Wisconsin and McGulpin Point Light in Michigan.
The new lighthouse has an eight-sided brick tower. It is ten feet wide and its walls are 12 inches thick. At the top, there is a 10-sided cast iron lantern. The lighthouse was staffed by a head keeper and two assistant keepers.
In 1999, the United States Congress gave ownership of the Eagle Harbor Light Station to the Keweenaw County Historical Society. The U.S. Coast Guard still operates the light at the very top of the tower today.
Lighthouse Museums
The Keweenaw County Historical Society manages the lighthouse as a museum. They also run other museums at the site. These include the Maritime Museum, which is in the old fog signal building. There is also a Commercial Fishing Museum and the Keweenaw History Museum. Visitors can also see an exhibit about the 1926 shipwreck of the City of Bangor.
See also
- Lighthouses in the United States
Images for kids
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Eagle Harbor Lighthouse
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U.S. Coast Guard Archive
