Eagle Harbor Light

Infobox_Lighthouse


caption =
location =
coordinates =coord|47|27|34.4|N|88|09|32.5|W|region:US_type:landmark
yearbuilt =
yearlit = 1871
automated = 1982
yeardeactivated =
foundation = Dressed stone and timber
construction = Brick
shape = Octagonal
marking =
height = Tower - convert|44|ft|m
elevation =
lens = Fourth order Fresnel lens
currentlens = DCB-224 aero beacons
intensity =
range =
characteristic = Alternating periods of red and white light (for current light)
admiralty =
NGA =
ARLHS =

Eagle Harbor Light is a lighthouse on the Keewenaw Peninsula jutting from Northern Michigan up into Lake Superior. This area of Michigan is often referred to as Copper Country and that industry is what created the interest in the harbor.

History

Edward Taylor was the first to realize the commercial potential of Eagle Harbor, building a short timber pier in the bay in 1844 from which to supply the growing number of miners in the area. A rocky ledge with only eight feet of water above it spread across the harbor entry, and represented a barrier to vessels of deep draft. However, the copper boom saw an increasing number of vessels visiting the dock, and Taylor began to lobby for federal funding for improving the entry into the harbor. [ [http://www.terrypepper.com/Lights/superior/eagleharbor/eagleharbor.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Eagle Harbor Light.] ]

The original Eagle Harbor Light was built in 1851. The structure took the form of a rubble stone keeper’s dwelling with a square white-painted wooden tower integrated into one end of the roof. The tower was capped with an octagonal wooden lantern with multiple glass panes, and outfitted with an array of Lewis lamps with reflectors. With the lamps standing 21 feet above the dwelling’s foundation, the building’s location on high ground placed the lamps at a focal plane of 47 feet above lake level. [ [http://www.terrypepper.com/Lights/superior/eagleharbor/eagleharbor.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Eagle Harbor Light.] ]

By 1865, a total of four new Keepers had worked at the station, with two of them removed from office, one resigning, and one passing away after only seven months at the station. The structure was deteriorating and was replaced in 1871 using a design that had previously been used for Chambers Island Lighthouse in Wisconsin. The octagonal brick light tower is ten feet in diameter, with walls 12 inches thick and it supports a 10-sided cast iron lantern. The Lighthouse was manned by a head keeper and two assistant keepers.

In 1999 the Congress of the United States transferred ownership of the Eagle Harbor Light Station to the Keweenaw County Historical Society. The Coast Guard continues to operate the light at the top of the tower. [ [http://www.exploringthenorth.com/eagleharbor/eagleharbor.html Exploring the North, Eagle Harbor.] ]

The Keweenaw County Historical Society operates the lighthouse as a museum, and also operates other museums at the site, including a maritime museum in the old fog signal building, a Keweenaw mining museum, a commercial fishing museum, a local history museum and an exhibit on the 1926 shipwreck of the City of Bangor.

Further reading

* [http://www.michiganlighthouse.org/bibliography.html Bibliography on Michigan lighthouses.]
* Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein, "The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses" (2002) ISBN 1592231020; ISBN 978-1592231027.
* Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan. "The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes." Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995. ISBN 0814325548 ISBN 9780814325544.
* Jones, Ray & Bruce Roberts, "American Lighthouses" (Globe Pequot, September 1, 1998, 1st Ed.) ISBN 0762703245; ISBN 978-0762703241.
* Jones, Ray,"The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference" (Globe Pequot, January 1, 2004, 1st ed.) ISBN 0762727357; ISBN 978-0762727353.
* Noble, Dennis, "Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy" (Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997). ISBN 1557506388; ISBN 9781557506382.
* 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.
* Penrod, John, "Lighthouses of Michigan", (Berrien Center, Michigan: Penrod/Hiawatha, 1998) ISBN 9780942618785 ISBN 9781893624238.
*
* Putnam, George R., "Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States", (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
* Splake, T. Kilgore. "Superior Land Lights". Battle Creek, MI: Angst Productions, 1984.
* United States Coast Guard, "Aids to Navigation", (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
* [http://www.uscg.mil/History/weblighthouses/h_lhbib.asp United States Coast Guard, "Aids to Navigation Historical Bibliography".]
*
* Wagner, John L., "Michigan Lighthouses: An Aerial Photographic Perspective", (East Lansing, Michigan: John L. Wagner, 1998) ISBN 1880311011 ISBN 9781880311011.
* Wargin, Ed, "Legends of Light: A Michigan Lighthouse Portfolio" (Ann Arbor Media Group, 2006). ISBN 9781587262517.
* Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, "Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia" Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1550463993.

Notes

ee also

* Lighthouses in the United States

External links

* [http://marinas.com/view/lighthouse/724 Aerial photos, Eagle Harbor Lighthouse, marinas.com.]
* [http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/SPECIAL01/80519001 Detroit News, Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses.]
* [http://www.exploringthenorth.com/eagleharbor/eagleharbor.html Eagle Harbor home page, Exploring the North.]
* [http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Superior/eagleharbor.htm Edin, Colt & Wobser, David, Eagle Harbor Light at boatnerd.com.]
* [http://www.lighthousesrus.org/Superior2.htm Interactive map of lighthouses in central Lake Superior.]
* [http://www.keweenawhistory.org/eh.html Keweenaw County Historical Society - Eagle Harbor Lighthouse and Museums]
* [http://www.lighthousecentral.com/lighthouse_gallery.php4?lighthouse=Eagle%20Harbor%20Lighthouse Lighthouse Central, Eagle Harbor light "The Ultimate Guide to Upper Michigan Lighthouses" by Jerry Roach] .]
* [http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/miup.htm Lighthouse Digest, Michigan Upper Peninsula lights (University of North Carolina).]
* [http://www.michiganlights.com/eagleharborlh.htm Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, Eagle Harbor Light.]
* National Park Service * [http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/light/eaglehbr.htm Maritime Heritage, Inventory of Historic Lighthouses, Eagle Harbor Light.]
* [http://www.terrypepper.com/Lights/superior/eagleharbor/eagleharbor.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Eagle Harbor Light.]
* [http://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/ Shipwreck Museum,] at Whitefish Point Light.
* United States Coast Guard [http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHMI.asp 's complete list of Michigan lights. with photographs and descriptions, including Eagle Harbor Light.]
* [http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pubs/LightLists/V7COMPLETE.PDF Volume 7, US Coast Guard Lightlist (PDF).]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCOMy5vlZkI Youtube, Eagle Harbor Light.]