Round Island Channel
Encyclopedia
The Round Island Channel is a navigable Lake Huron
waterway located between Mackinac Island
and Round Island
in the Straits of Mackinac
. It forms a key link in the lake freighter
route between Lake Superior
and Lake Michigan
, on which millions of tons of taconite
iron ore are shipped annually. The channel also provides access to the harbor of Mackinac Island, Michigan
, and is used by commercial ferryboats delivering passengers to the small island city.
The Round Island Channel has been in active use since before the arrival of European explorers. With the construction of Fort Mackinac
in 1780-1781, the channel became a link in the logistics chain operated by the British Army to supply the fort.
With the discovery of significant hematite
mines in northern Minnesota
in the late 1800s, and the construction of steel mill
s shortly after 1900 along the shores of southern Lake Michigan in and around Gary, Indiana
, the Round Island Channel became an essential element in one of the most significant commodity supply pipelines of the Great Lakes.
The Round Island Channel is lit by Round Island Light
, an 1895 lighthouse
, and by Round Island Passage Light
, a 1948 light which has a Racon
.
The channel is maintained to a project depth of 30 feet (9 meters) in line with U.S.-Canadian agreements governing the operation of Great Lakes navigable waterways and the St. Lawrence Seaway. This depth is sufficient to provide safe water for lake freighters as massive as 1,000 feet (300 m) long. Buoy
s and the lights delineate the channel today.
and its counterpart, the Port Huron to Mackinac Race. In both races, sail-powered yacht
s race from the southern ends of Lake Michigan
and Lake Huron
to the Round Island Channel.
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...
waterway located between Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
and Round Island
Round Island (Michigan)
Round Island is an uninhabited island in Mackinac County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The Native Americans called the island "Nissawinagong."...
in the Straits of Mackinac
Straits of Mackinac
The Straits of Mackinac is the strip of water that connects two of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and separates the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a shipping lane providing passage for raw materials and finished goods, connecting, for...
. It forms a key link in the lake freighter
Lake freighter
Lake freighters, or Lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that ply the Great Lakes. The best known was the , the most recent and largest major vessel to be wrecked on the Lakes. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. In the mid-20th century, 300 lakers worked the...
route between 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...
and 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...
, on which millions of tons of taconite
Taconite
Taconite is a variety of iron formation, an iron-bearing sedimentary rock, in which the iron minerals are interlayered with quartz, chert, or carbonate...
iron ore are shipped annually. The channel also provides access to the harbor of Mackinac Island, Michigan
Mackinac Island, Michigan
Mackinac Island is a city in Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. In the 2010 census, the city had a permanent population of 492, although there are thousands more seasonal workers and tourists during the summer months. From 1818–1882, the city was the county seat of the former...
, and is used by commercial ferryboats delivering passengers to the small island city.
In history
Fort Mackinac
Fort Mackinac is a former American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century near Michilimackinac, Michigan, on Mackinac Island...
in 1780-1781, the channel became a link in the logistics chain operated by the British Army to supply the fort.
With the discovery of significant hematite
Hematite
Hematite, also spelled as haematite, is the mineral form of iron oxide , one of several iron oxides. Hematite crystallizes in the rhombohedral system, and it has the same crystal structure as ilmenite and corundum...
mines in northern Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in the late 1800s, and the construction of steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
s shortly after 1900 along the shores of southern Lake Michigan in and around Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, the Round Island Channel became an essential element in one of the most significant commodity supply pipelines of the Great Lakes.
The Round Island Channel is lit by Round Island Light
Round Island Light (Michigan)
The Round Island Light, also known as the "Old Round Island Point Lighthouse" is a lighthouse located on the west shore of Round Island in the shipping lanes of the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron...
, an 1895 lighthouse
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....
, and by Round Island Passage Light
Round Island Passage Light
Round Island Passage Light is an automated, unmanned 1948 lighthouse located in the Round Island Channel in the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan. The channel is a branch of Lake Huron.-History:....
, a 1948 light which has a Racon
Racon
A racon is a radar transponder commonly used to mark maritime navigational hazards. The word is a portmanteau of RAdar and beaCON.When a racon receives a radar pulse, it responds with a signal on the same frequency which puts an image on the radar display...
.
The channel is maintained to a project depth of 30 feet (9 meters) in line with U.S.-Canadian agreements governing the operation of Great Lakes navigable waterways and the St. Lawrence Seaway. This depth is sufficient to provide safe water for lake freighters as massive as 1,000 feet (300 m) long. Buoy
Buoy
A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...
s and the lights delineate the channel today.
In sports
The Round Island Channel forms the ending points of the annual Chicago to Mackinac Boat RaceChicago to Mackinac Boat Race
The Chicago to Mackinac Sailboat Race is run by the Chicago Yacht Club. It is one of the longest fresh-water races in the world, with hundreds of boats entering the race each year. It starts off the mouth of the Chicago River in Chicago, crosses Lake Michigan, barely enters Lake Huron, and finishes...
and its counterpart, the Port Huron to Mackinac Race. In both races, sail-powered yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
s race from the southern ends of 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...
and 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...
to the Round Island Channel.