Copper Harbor Light
Encyclopedia
The Copper Harbor Light is a lighthouse
located in the harbor of Copper Harbor, Michigan
USA on the Keweenaw Peninsula
of Upper Michigan inside Fort Wilkins Historic State Park
.
Funding to build the light was approved in 1847. The first tower was constructed in 1848 and resembled that at Old Presque Isle Lighthouse. The Stone Masonry was dismantled, and the stones used as the foundation for the replacement lighthouse built in 1866.
The current lightkeeper's dwelling house is a survivor of the first light tower. An improved lighthouse, which also survives, was raised in 1866 three years before the installation of the Copper Harbor Front Range Light
and the Copper Harbor Rear Range Light. The steel light tower in current use went into service in 1933.
The station was established in 1849. A Fresnel lens
was installed in 1856. The current tower was first lit in 1866. It is no longer operational. It was automated in 1919, and deactivated in 1933. The foundation materials are dressed stone and timer, and the building was made of brick. The tower is square. The color is "natural with black lantern." A keeper's
house is attached.
In 1933, the light itself was removed from the lighthouse, and placed on the adjacent 62 feet (18.9 m) high white skeleton tower, which has a focal plane of 90 feet (27.4 m). It has a range of 27 miles (43.5 km).
Other buildings on the location include a detached 1849 dwelling house, which functioned as a storage and oil house.
A lighthouse tour is available, complete with a ride on a wooden double-ender launch. The boat leaves from the Municipal pier in Copper Harbor, and takes about 15 minutes to reach the point.
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 in the harbor of Copper Harbor, Michigan
Copper Harbor, Michigan
Copper Harbor is a small unincorporated community in northeastern Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is within Grant Township on the Keweenaw Peninsula that juts from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Superior.-History:...
USA on the Keweenaw Peninsula
Keweenaw Peninsula
The Keweenaw Peninsula is the northern-most part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was roughly 43,200...
of Upper Michigan inside Fort Wilkins Historic State Park
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park is a historical park operated by the U.S. state of Michigan at Copper Harbor, Michigan. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and is a "Cooperating Site" of the Keweenaw National Historical Park....
.
History
The Copper Harbor Lighthouse was built on the tip of the eastern point of land that hugs the harbor. The lighthouse aided in the transport of copper from the Upper Peninsula. Ships carrying immigrants, supplies, and equipment increased dramatically.Funding to build the light was approved in 1847. The first tower was constructed in 1848 and resembled that at Old Presque Isle Lighthouse. The Stone Masonry was dismantled, and the stones used as the foundation for the replacement lighthouse built in 1866.
The current lightkeeper's dwelling house is a survivor of the first light tower. An improved lighthouse, which also survives, was raised in 1866 three years before the installation of the Copper Harbor Front Range Light
Copper Harbor Front Range Light
The Copper Harbor Front Range Light is in Copper Harbor, Michigan.While the Copper Harbor Light effectively illuminated the area of the harbor, it failed to guide mariners through the narrow opening of rocks at its entrance...
and the Copper Harbor Rear Range Light. The steel light tower in current use went into service in 1933.
The station was established in 1849. A Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
was installed in 1856. The current tower was first lit in 1866. It is no longer operational. It was automated in 1919, and deactivated in 1933. The foundation materials are dressed stone and timer, and the building was made of brick. The tower is square. The color is "natural with black lantern." A keeper's
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
house is attached.
In 1933, the light itself was removed from the lighthouse, and placed on the adjacent 62 feet (18.9 m) high white skeleton tower, which has a focal plane of 90 feet (27.4 m). It has a range of 27 miles (43.5 km).
Present
The Copper Harbor Lighthouse is currently (as of 2006) operated as a unit of the Michigan Department of History, Arts, and Libraries. It is open to the public in summer months and features a museum about the lighthouse and Lake Superior maritime history.Other buildings on the location include a detached 1849 dwelling house, which functioned as a storage and oil house.
A lighthouse tour is available, complete with a ride on a wooden double-ender launch. The boat leaves from the Municipal pier in Copper Harbor, and takes about 15 minutes to reach the point.
See also
- Lighthouses in the United StatesLighthouses in the United StatesThis is a list of lighthouses in the United States. The United States has had approximately a thousand lights as well as light towers, range lights, and pier head lights...
External links
- Anderson, Kraig, Lighthouse Friends, Copper Harbor Light.
- Aerial photos, Copper Harbor Light, marinas.com.
- Copper Harbor Lighthouse Tours.
- Copper Harbor Lighthouse, information from Michigan Historical Center, including a virtual tour.
- Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses. Detroit News.
- National Park ServiceNational Park ServiceThe 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...
Maritime History, Inventory of Historic Lights, Copper Harbor Light. - Photographs, Directions, Waypoints and History from Lighthouse Central.
- Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Copper Harbor Light.
- Wobser, David, Boatnerd.com Copper Harbor Light.