Chequamegon Point Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
The Chequamegon Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse
located on Long Island
, one of the Apostle Islands
, in Lake Superior
in Ashland County, Wisconsin
, near the city of Bayfield
.
The Chequamegon Point light was maintained by the keeper of the La Pointe Light (about a mile away) and its original lens came from their. A boardwalk connected them, so light keepers could ride bicycles between the lights. It is currently owned by the National Park Service
and part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
.
The lighthouse was moved back on to the shoreline after it was replaced by a modern D9 cylindrical tower (a "sewer pipe" with light and fog signal) constructed in 1986.
In 1868 the original was established on Long Island's western end, marking the entrance to Chequamegon Bay and with it the towns of Washburn and Ashland.
In 1896, it was replaced in 1896 by a square
, white steel room sitting on steel legs. The room is topped by an octagonal lantern with a red roof. The concept echoes that of Lake Huron
's Alpena Light. There are also skeletal towers of various other designs in the western Great Lakes
.
In 1986, the Coast Guard moved the light back from the shore. It as threatened by erosion. Now pine trees have grown around it. It is no longer an active aid to navigation.
Access is by walking from the dock at the LaPointe station along the beach.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
located on Long Island
Long Island (Wisconsin)
Long Island is an island in Lake Superior in Wisconsin usually identified with the Apostle Islands. It is geologically different from the other islands, though, in that it is actually just an extension of the spit off Chequamegon Point...
, one of the Apostle Islands
Apostle Islands
The Apostle Islands are a group of 22 islands in Lake Superior, off the Bayfield Peninsula in northern Wisconsin. The majority of the islands are located in Ashland County—only Sand, York, Eagle, and Raspberry Islands are located in Bayfield County...
, in Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
in Ashland County, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, near the city of Bayfield
Bayfield, Wisconsin
Bayfield is a city in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 611 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Henry Bayfield, a British Royal Topographic Engineer who explored the region in 1822-23....
.
The Chequamegon Point light was maintained by the keeper of the La Pointe Light (about a mile away) and its original lens came from their. A boardwalk connected them, so light keepers could ride bicycles between the lights. It is currently owned by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
and part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a U.S. national lakeshore consisting of 21 islands and shoreline encompassing 69,372 acres on the northern tip of Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Superior....
.
The lighthouse was moved back on to the shoreline after it was replaced by a modern D9 cylindrical tower (a "sewer pipe" with light and fog signal) constructed in 1986.
In 1868 the original was established on Long Island's western end, marking the entrance to Chequamegon Bay and with it the towns of Washburn and Ashland.
In 1896, it was replaced in 1896 by a square
Square (geometry)
In geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral. This means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles...
, white steel room sitting on steel legs. The room is topped by an octagonal lantern with a red roof. The concept echoes that of Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
's Alpena Light. There are also skeletal towers of various other designs in the western Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
.
In 1986, the Coast Guard moved the light back from the shore. It as threatened by erosion. Now pine trees have grown around it. It is no longer an active aid to navigation.
Access is by walking from the dock at the LaPointe station along the beach.
Further reading
- Havighurst, Walter (1943) The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes, Macmillan PublishersMacmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
. - Merkel, James, Long Island Light, The Overlooked Light of the Apostles (March, 2000) pp. 19-21. Lighthouse DigestLighthouse DigestLighthouse Digest is a specialty magazine for lighthouse and maritime history enthusiasts published in East Machias, Maine. Launched in May, 1992, by FogHorn Publishing, it is dedicated to preserving lighthouse history, current and yesteryear, for future generations.-Scope:Coverage includes...
. - 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.
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3.
External links
- Lighthouse friends article
- NPS Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin - Current D9 light is listed
- Wobser, David, Chequamegon Point Light, from an article that originally appeared in Great Laker Magazine at boatnerd.com.