Potawatomi Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
Pottawatomie Lighthouse, also known as the Rock Island Light, is located in Rock Island State Park
, on Rock Island
in Door County
, Wisconsin
. Established in 1836, it is the oldest light station in Wisconsin and on Lake Michigan
. It was served by civilian light keepers from 1836 to the 1940s, at which point it was taken over by the US Coast Guard.
It is the oldest lighthouse in Door County.
The lighthouse was restored by the Friends of Rock Island Lighthouse. It is open for tours during the summer as the Pottawatomie Lighthouse Museum. The lighthouse has been restored to a state illustrating its appearance circa 1882-1910. The restoration was performed with the help from the non-profit Friends Of Rock Island State Park. It now serves as a museum that is open for tours daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day 10am to 4pm.
The lighthouse was listed as Pottawatomie Lighthouse in the National Register of Historic Places
in 1979, as reference #79000074. The fresnel lens
, lost after the lighthouse was shut down in the late 1980s, was replaced by a plexiglass copy in 1999.
Visiting Rock Island requires a commitment of at least a day, and is as difficult as any location in Wisconsin. It is said to be worth the trip.
In the Door Peninsula:
Highway 42 north to its terminus at the Northport Ferry pier. Book passage on the Washington Island Ferry Line's car ferry "SS Robert Noble" for thirty minute crossing to Washington Island. The trip offers distant views of Pilot Island, Plum Island and Detroit Island.
Upon arrival at Washington Island, drive north on Lobdell Point Road, which becomes Main Road. Take Main Road north, thence right on Jackson Harbor Road. Follow Jackson Harbor until you reach its end at the Rock Island Ferry dock. Park your vehicle.
Board the Rock Island Ferry. Vehicles are not allowed, and this is solely a passenger ferry named "Karfi" for the 15 minute trip to Rock Island. ou will have to follow trails for about a mile or more. ASk for directions. "When encountering any branches in the trail along the way, always take the left branch, staying atop the bluff to the lighthouse."
On Rock Island only backpack camping is permitted. Few overnight accommodations are on Washington Island.
Rock Island State Park (Wisconsin)
Rock Island State Park is a Wisconsin state park located on Rock Island, off the tip of the Door Peninsula in Lake Michigan. The only public transportation to the island is by the passenger ferry "Karfi" from Washington Island. However, there is mooring/dock space for people with their own...
, on Rock Island
Rock Island (Wisconsin)
Rock Island is a wooded island off the tip of Wisconsin's Door Peninsula at the mouth of Green Bay. The uninhabited island is almost entirely owned by the Wisconsin DNR, which maintains Rock Island State Park. It is the northernmost part of the Town of Washington.-History:Rock Island was...
in Door County
Door County, Wisconsin
Door County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 27,961. Its county seat is Sturgeon Bay. Door County is a popular vacation and tourist destination, especially for residents of Wisconsin and Illinois....
, 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...
. Established in 1836, it is the oldest light station in Wisconsin and on Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. It was served by civilian light keepers from 1836 to the 1940s, at which point it was taken over by the US Coast Guard.
History
The first lighthouse on the spot was a structure built in 1836. It was demolished in the late 1850s and replaced by the existing lighthouse. The current building was first lit in 1858 and continued as an active aid to navigation until 1988, when it was replaced with a modern skeletal tower and automated system.It is the oldest lighthouse in Door County.
The lighthouse was restored by the Friends of Rock Island Lighthouse. It is open for tours during the summer as the Pottawatomie Lighthouse Museum. The lighthouse has been restored to a state illustrating its appearance circa 1882-1910. The restoration was performed with the help from the non-profit Friends Of Rock Island State Park. It now serves as a museum that is open for tours daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day 10am to 4pm.
The lighthouse was listed as Pottawatomie Lighthouse in 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 1979, as reference #79000074. The 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...
, lost after the lighthouse was shut down in the late 1980s, was replaced by a plexiglass copy in 1999.
Getting there
Door County has the most lighthouses of any Wisconsin county.Visiting Rock Island requires a commitment of at least a day, and is as difficult as any location in Wisconsin. It is said to be worth the trip.
In the Door Peninsula:
Highway 42 north to its terminus at the Northport Ferry pier. Book passage on the Washington Island Ferry Line's car ferry "SS Robert Noble" for thirty minute crossing to Washington Island. The trip offers distant views of Pilot Island, Plum Island and Detroit Island.
Upon arrival at Washington Island, drive north on Lobdell Point Road, which becomes Main Road. Take Main Road north, thence right on Jackson Harbor Road. Follow Jackson Harbor until you reach its end at the Rock Island Ferry dock. Park your vehicle.
Board the Rock Island Ferry. Vehicles are not allowed, and this is solely a passenger ferry named "Karfi" for the 15 minute trip to Rock Island. ou will have to follow trails for about a mile or more. ASk for directions. "When encountering any branches in the trail along the way, always take the left branch, staying atop the bluff to the lighthouse."
On Rock Island only backpack camping is permitted. Few overnight accommodations are on Washington Island.
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:...
. - 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.
- Olson, William H. Pottawatomie Lantern Room Restored (October, 2009) 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...
. - Pottawatomie Light History, Friends of Rock Island State Park.
- Sapulski, Wayne S., (2001) Lighthouses of Lake Michigan: Past and Present (Paperback) (Fowlerville: Wilderness Adventure Books) ISBN 0-923568-47-6; ISBN 978-0-923568-47-4.
- Pottawotomie (Rock Island) Restoration, Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine (February 2000).
- Wobser, David, Pottawatomie (Rock Island) Light, at boatnerd.com.
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3.