La Pointe Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
The La Pointe Light is a lighthouse
located on Long Island
, one of the Apostle Islands
, in Lake Superior
in Ashland County, Wisconsin
, near the city of Bayfield
.
Currently owned by the National Park Service
and part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983, as reference number 83003366. Listed in the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey
, WI-325 and WI-325-A. One of the oldest skeletal lighthouses on the Great Lakes
, it played an important role in transportation on Lake Superior.
A square
wooden tower, constructed in 1858, was located around 3000 feet (914.4 m) west (0.9 km) of the current light. The previous lens was moved to the Chequamegon Point Lighthouse
in 1897. It is one of the Apostle Islands Lighthouses
.
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....
.
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....
, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1983, as reference number 83003366. Listed in the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey
Historic American Buildings Survey
The Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
, WI-325 and WI-325-A. One of the oldest skeletal lighthouses on the 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...
, it played an important role in transportation on Lake Superior.
A square
Square (geometry)
In geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral. This means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles...
wooden tower, constructed in 1858, was located around 3000 feet (914.4 m) west (0.9 km) of the current light. The previous lens was moved to the Chequamegon Point Lighthouse
Chequamegon Point Lighthouse
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....
in 1897. It is one of the Apostle Islands Lighthouses
Apostle Islands Lighthouses
The Apostle Islands Lighthouses are a group of six lighthouses, located in the Apostle Islands, Wisconsin and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 as reference number 77000145....
.
Getting there
Most of the Apostle Islands light stations may be reached on the Apostle Islands Cruise Service water taxi or by private boat during the summer. During the Annual Apostle Island Lighthouse Celebration ferry tour service is available for all the lighthouses. In the tourist season, volunteer park rangers are on the many of the islands to greet visitors.Specialized Additional 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:...
. - Jalbert, Andrew J. Schooner Lucerne: Lessons from a Great Lakes Shipwreck (July 27, 2007) originally printed in Sea HistorySea History (magazine)Sea History is a quarterly magazine published by the National Maritime Historical Society focusing on naval and maritime history. It is edited by Deirdre O'Regan.- External links :*...
magazine, The Wreck of the SchoonerSchoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Lucerne. - 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
- Aerial photos of La Pointe Light, Marina.com.
- Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey Survey number HABS WI-325
- Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey Survey number HABS WI-325-A
- Lighthouse Friends, La Pointe Light article
- 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 Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin, La Pointe Light. - Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, New La Pointe Light Station.
- Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Old La Pointe Light Station.
- Wobser, David, La Pointe Light, boatnerd.com Originally in Great Laker Magazine.