Rock Harbor Light
Encyclopedia
The Rock Harbor Lighthouse is a light station
located in Rock Harbor
on Isle Royale National Park
, Michigan
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1977.
The Rock Harbor Lighthouse is a 50 feet (15.2 m) cylindrical tower with a 16 feet (4.9 m) base, constructed of randomly placed stone and brick, capped with an octagonal beacon with a copper roof. A one-and-a-half-story keeper's house with gabled roof is connected to the tower on one end.
, it was recommended that a new light be constructed on Isle Royale
; the next year, Congress appropriated $5,000 to construct a light at Rock Harbor. Construction began in 1855, and was completed in 1856. The Rock Island Light was the first lighthouse constructed on Isle Royale
. The first keeper arrived at the station on October 24, 1856, and the lighthouse went into operation a short time later.
The light had been manned for less than three years when it was determined that, due to the decrease in mining traffic, it was no longer required. It was extinguished on August 1, 1859, and the lighthouse was abandoned. During the American Civil War
, copper mining increased once more, and in 1873 renovations began on the station, leading to the reactivation of the light on August 5, 1874. However, after another drop in copper prices, and following the activation in 1875 of the Isle Royale Light
at Menagerie Island, the Rock Harbor Light was rendered less useful. On October 4, 1879, the Rock Harbor lighthouse was deactivated for the second and last time, having been in service for a total of only eight years since its construction.
In 1910, the keeper's house was altered, including the addition of dormers. In the 1950s, the tower began to tilt, and an emergency stabilization was undertaken; the tower still leans approximately 2 degrees. The original wooden roof of the structure was replaced with asphalt in 1962, and the foundation was stabilized in 1969. The station is currently unmanned.
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 Rock Harbor
Rock Harbor
Rock Harbor is the main access point for visitors landing on Isle Royale in northern Lake Superior. It sits at the northeastern end of the forty-five mile long island, the whole of which is protected as Isle Royale National Park...
on Isle Royale National Park
Isle Royale National Park
Isle Royale National Park is a U.S. National Park in the state of Michigan. Isle Royale, the largest island in Lake Superior, is over 45 miles in length and 9 miles wide at its widest point. The park is made of Isle Royale itself and approximately 400 smaller islands, along with any submerged...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It was listed on 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 1977.
Description
History
In 1852, due to the increase in shipping in Lake SuperiorLake 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...
, it was recommended that a new light be constructed on Isle Royale
Isle Royale
Isle Royale is an island of the Great Lakes, located in the northwest of Lake Superior, and part of the state of Michigan. The island and the 450 surrounding smaller islands and waters make up Isle Royale National Park....
; the next year, Congress appropriated $5,000 to construct a light at Rock Harbor. Construction began in 1855, and was completed in 1856. The Rock Island Light was the first lighthouse constructed on Isle Royale
Isle Royale
Isle Royale is an island of the Great Lakes, located in the northwest of Lake Superior, and part of the state of Michigan. The island and the 450 surrounding smaller islands and waters make up Isle Royale National Park....
. The first keeper arrived at the station on October 24, 1856, and the lighthouse went into operation a short time later.
The light had been manned for less than three years when it was determined that, due to the decrease in mining traffic, it was no longer required. It was extinguished on August 1, 1859, and the lighthouse was abandoned. During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, copper mining increased once more, and in 1873 renovations began on the station, leading to the reactivation of the light on August 5, 1874. However, after another drop in copper prices, and following the activation in 1875 of the Isle Royale Light
Isle Royale Light
The Isle Royale Light is located on Menagerie Island , the most easterly of the group of small islands at the opening of Siskiwit Bay, near the southern shore of Isle Royale, and is part of the Isle Royale National Park...
at Menagerie Island, the Rock Harbor Light was rendered less useful. On October 4, 1879, the Rock Harbor lighthouse was deactivated for the second and last time, having been in service for a total of only eight years since its construction.
In 1910, the keeper's house was altered, including the addition of dormers. In the 1950s, the tower began to tilt, and an emergency stabilization was undertaken; the tower still leans approximately 2 degrees. The original wooden roof of the structure was replaced with asphalt in 1962, and the foundation was stabilized in 1969. The station is currently unmanned.
External links
- Isle Royal National Park: Outdoor Activities
- Rock Harbor Lighthouse, Survey number HABS MI-386, Historic American Buildings Survey.