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White Shoal Light (Michigan)
Encyclopedia
The White Shoal Light is a lighthouse
located 20 miles (32 km) west of the Mackinac Bridge
in Lake Michigan
. It is an active aid to navigation.
by the United States Lighthouse Board
. Between 1852 and 1860 26 new lights were built. Even as the United States Civil War and its aftermath slowed construction, a dozen new lights were still lit in that decade. In the 1870s, 43 new lights were built on the Lakes. The 1880s saw more than one hundred lights constructed.
As the new century began, on the Great Lakes the Lighthouse Board operated 334 major lights, 67 fog horns and 563 buoys.
During the 19th century design of Great Lakes lights slowly evolved. Until 1870 the most common design was to build a keeper's dwelling with the light on the dwelling's roof or on a relatively small square tower attached to the house. In the 1870s, so as to raise lights to a higher focal plane, conical brick towers, usually between eighty to one hundred feet tall were constructed. In the 1890s steel
lined towers began to replace the older generation of brick
building. See Big Sable Point Light
for a striking transition and transformation.
The White Shoal Light was the culmination of a forty year effort—between 1870 and 1910—where engineers began to build lights on isolated islands, reefs, and shoals that were significant navigational hazards. To that time, Light ships were the only practical way to mark the hazards, but were dangerous for the sailors who manned them, and difficult to maintain. "Worse, regardless of the type of anchors used lightships could be blown off their expected location in severe storms, making them a potential liability in the worst weather when captains would depend on the charted location of these lights to measure their own ship's distance from dangerous rocks." See, United States lightship Huron (LV-103).
Successively, using underwater crib designs, the Board built on a shoal the Waugoshance Light
(1851), and demonstrated a "new level of expertise" in constructing of the Spectacle Reef Light
(1874), Stannard Rock Light
(1882) and Detroit River (Bar Point Shoal)
(also known as the Detroit River Entrance Light) (1885). "The long and expensive process of building lights" in remote and difficult sites "ended in nationally publicized engineering projects that constructed" Rock of Ages
(1908) and the White Shoal (1910) lights.
In the first three decades of the twentieth century the Lighthouse Board and the new Lighthouse Service continued to build new lights on the Great Lakes. For 1925, the Board had under its auspices around the Great Lakes: 433 major lights; ten lightships; 129 fog signals; and about 1,000 buoys. Of these 1,771 navigational aids, 160 stations had resident keepers
, as most navigational aids were automated. By 1925 nearly all of the Great Lakes lighthouses that today exist—excepting e.g., Poe Reef Light
and Gravelly Shoal Light
and some memorial lights, namely Manning Memorial Light
. Another is the William Livingtone Memorial Light, and the latest Great Lakes light, namely Tri-Centennial Light of Detroit -- had been constructed.
This is part of a larger pattern of building 14 reef
lights around Michigan, which was intended to help ships navigate through and around the shoals and hazards around the Straits of Mackinac.
, which was later installed at this location.
Because of growing freighter
traffic in and through the Straits of Mackinac
, this light was part of a larger plan to build lighthouses to protect ships and mariners in the area. This is one of the first three "lightship stations" of the Great Lakes. Its construction, along with Waugoshance Light
, was a "major engineering feat" because of its distance and isolation from land. Until 1910, Lightship LV56 served at White Shoal. Construction for this light began in 1908: the crib pier
being built in St. Ignace
, and transported by ship. The keeper
house was accompanied by a fog signal building that housed a diaphone
, that has since been removed.
The lighthouse is unique:
The White Shoal Light is the prominent design element in the "Save Our Lights" license plate for the State of Michigan; the sale of which helps fund lighthouse preservation. Michigan is the only state that supports lighthouse preservation with a program that includes annual grants from the state to local preservation groups. Thus, there are many organizations and their volunteers working hard to save and restore lighthouses. The Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy is a state preservation society, and the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association is also based in the state.
White Shoal Light is one of over 150 past and present lighthouses in Michigan. Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state. See Lighthouses in the United States
.
Because of its unique form and coloration, it is often the subject of photographs, drawings, and even of needlepoint
illustrations.
A scaled down replica of this light was built at Lake Havasu, Arizona. Located on the Lake Havasu Island Golf Course, the light is operational and was dedicated on November 2, 2008
It was sponsored by the families of John & Janet Roe & Eric & Sundin; built by Jack Hensley and Members of the Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club, dedicated "To the memory of Eric Sundin." It is located at GPS: 34º 27.16' N - 114º 21.12' W , and has a red light that flashes sixty times per minute. See also List of lighthouses in the United States. It is considered to be iconic, and has been the subject of memorabilia.
offers periodic lighthouse cruises in the summer season. Its "westbound Lighthouse Tour" — three hours more or less — includes passes by various lights, including White Shoal Light, Waugoshance Light
(which it replaced), Wilderness State Park
, Gray's Reef Light (originally built in 1891), and St. Helena Island Light. A so-called grand lighthouse excursion is a yearly event sponsored through the Great Lakes Lightkeeper Association, and includes these and many other lights. Schedules and rates are available from Shepler's.
Another alternative is to charter a seaplane
to make a tour of the Mackinac Straits and environs.
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 20 miles (32 km) west of the Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge is the third longest in total suspension in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages...
in 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 is an active aid to navigation.
Overview
The period between 1852 and the beginning of the 20th century saw great activity on the Great LakesGreat 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...
by the United States Lighthouse Board
United States Lighthouse Board
The United States Lighthouse Board was the agency of the US Federal Government that was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses in the United States...
. Between 1852 and 1860 26 new lights were built. Even as the United States Civil War and its aftermath slowed construction, a dozen new lights were still lit in that decade. In the 1870s, 43 new lights were built on the Lakes. The 1880s saw more than one hundred lights constructed.
As the new century began, on the Great Lakes the Lighthouse Board operated 334 major lights, 67 fog horns and 563 buoys.
During the 19th century design of Great Lakes lights slowly evolved. Until 1870 the most common design was to build a keeper's dwelling with the light on the dwelling's roof or on a relatively small square tower attached to the house. In the 1870s, so as to raise lights to a higher focal plane, conical brick towers, usually between eighty to one hundred feet tall were constructed. In the 1890s steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
lined towers began to replace the older generation of brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
building. See Big Sable Point Light
Big Sable Point Light
The Big Sable Point Light is a lighthouse on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan near Ludington in Mason County, Michigan, at the Ludington State Park. It is an active aid to navigation.-History:...
for a striking transition and transformation.
The White Shoal Light was the culmination of a forty year effort—between 1870 and 1910—where engineers began to build lights on isolated islands, reefs, and shoals that were significant navigational hazards. To that time, Light ships were the only practical way to mark the hazards, but were dangerous for the sailors who manned them, and difficult to maintain. "Worse, regardless of the type of anchors used lightships could be blown off their expected location in severe storms, making them a potential liability in the worst weather when captains would depend on the charted location of these lights to measure their own ship's distance from dangerous rocks." See, United States lightship Huron (LV-103).
Successively, using underwater crib designs, the Board built on a shoal the Waugoshance Light
Waugoshance Light
The lighthouse at Waugoshance protects boats from a shoal area at the northern end of Lake Michigan. The lighthouse is located in Emmet County, Michigan, United States, and in U.S. Coast Guard District No. 9.-Reason for lighthouse:...
(1851), and demonstrated a "new level of expertise" in constructing of the Spectacle Reef Light
Spectacle Reef Light
Spectacle Reef Light is a lighthouse eleven miles east of the Straits of Mackinac and is located at the northern end of Lake Huron, Michigan. It was designed and built by Colonel Orlando Metcalfe Poe and Major Godfrey Weitzel, and was the most expensive lighthouse ever built on the Great Lakes...
(1874), Stannard Rock Light
Stannard Rock Light
The Stannard Rock Light, completed in 1883, is a lighthouse located on a reef that was the most serious hazard to navigation on Lake Superior. The exposed crib of the Stannard Rock Light is rated as one of the top ten engineering feats in the United States. It is from the nearest land, making it...
(1882) and Detroit River (Bar Point Shoal)
Detroit River Light
The Detroit River Light, also known as Bar Point Shoal Light, was first established as a lightship in 1875. The current sparkplug lighthouse was built in 1885. It sits in Lake Erie, south of the mouth of the Detroit River, from land and about from the Ambassador Bridge in the Detroit River. It...
(also known as the Detroit River Entrance Light) (1885). "The long and expensive process of building lights" in remote and difficult sites "ended in nationally publicized engineering projects that constructed" Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages Light
The Rock of Ages Light is a U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse on a small rock outcropping approximately miles west of Washington Island and west of Isle Royale, in Keweenaw County, Michigan...
(1908) and the White Shoal (1910) lights.
In the first three decades of the twentieth century the Lighthouse Board and the new Lighthouse Service continued to build new lights on the Great Lakes. For 1925, the Board had under its auspices around the Great Lakes: 433 major lights; ten lightships; 129 fog signals; and about 1,000 buoys. Of these 1,771 navigational aids, 160 stations had resident keepers
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...
, as most navigational aids were automated. By 1925 nearly all of the Great Lakes lighthouses that today exist—excepting e.g., Poe Reef Light
Poe Reef Light
Poe Reef is a lighthouse located at the east end of South Channel between Bois Blanc Island and the mainland of the Lower Peninsula, about six miles east of Cheboygan Poe Reef has historically caused problems for shipping...
and Gravelly Shoal Light
Gravelly Shoal Light
Gravelly Shoals Light is an automated lighthouse that is an active aid to navigation on the shallow shoals extending southeast from Point Lookout on the western side of Saginaw Bay. The light is situated about offshore and was built to help guide boats through the deeper water between the...
and some memorial lights, namely Manning Memorial Light
Manning Memorial Light
The Manning Memorial Light, also known as the Robert H. Manning Memorial Lighthouse is a lighthouse located near Empire, Michigan. Mr. Manning was a longtime resident of Empire. Manning enjoyed fishing offshore, and often returned from these boat trips late at night. He often remarked to friends...
. Another is the William Livingtone Memorial Light, and the latest Great Lakes light, namely Tri-Centennial Light of Detroit -- had been constructed.
This is part of a larger pattern of building 14 reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
lights around Michigan, which was intended to help ships navigate through and around the shoals and hazards around the Straits of Mackinac.
Building the Light
This crib style light was built in 1912 at a cost of $225,000.00. In addition to a fog signal, it also had a submersible bell that would toll the number "23" to warn off mariners. This early 20th Century technological innovation was an audible precursor to a mid Century innovation using radar, RACONRacon
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...
, which was later installed at this location.
Because of growing freighter
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
traffic in and through 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...
, this light was part of a larger plan to build lighthouses to protect ships and mariners in the area. This is one of the first three "lightship stations" of the Great Lakes. Its construction, along with Waugoshance Light
Waugoshance Light
The lighthouse at Waugoshance protects boats from a shoal area at the northern end of Lake Michigan. The lighthouse is located in Emmet County, Michigan, United States, and in U.S. Coast Guard District No. 9.-Reason for lighthouse:...
, was a "major engineering feat" because of its distance and isolation from land. Until 1910, Lightship LV56 served at White Shoal. Construction for this light began in 1908: the crib pier
Crib pier
A crib pier is a type of pier built with the supporting columns made of 'cribs'. Typically a crib is made from wood, but it could be made from any long cylindrical material...
being built in St. Ignace
St. Ignace, Michigan
Saint Ignace, usually written as St. Ignace, is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,678. It is the county seat of Mackinac County. From the Lower Peninsula, St. Ignace is the gateway to the Upper Peninsula.St...
, and transported by ship. The keeper
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 was accompanied by a fog signal building that housed a diaphone
Diaphone
For Diaphone, the Noctuid moth species see Diaphone The diaphone was a noisemaking device best known for its use as a foghorn: it could produce deep, powerful tones able to carry a long distance...
, that has since been removed.
Description
The tower was coated in gunnite after completion.The lighthouse is unique:
- The massive original lens was a 2nd Order Fresnel LensFresnel lensA 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...
manufactured by Barbier, Benard & Turenne of Paris. It had a "two-sided design known as a bi-valve configuration, with each side "featuring 7 refracting and 15 reflecting prisms." The lens floated on a bed of MercuryMercury (element)Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
and was powered by a clockworkClockworkA clockwork is the inner workings of either a mechanical clock or a device that operates in a similar fashion. Specifically, the term refers to a mechanical device utilizing a complex series of gears....
mechanism suspended in the tower. It had a range of up to 28 miles (45.1 km) and generated 1.2 million candle power. Similar lights were installed at Grosse Point LightGrosse Point LightThe historic Grosse Point Light is located in Evanston, Illinois. Following several shipping disasters near Evanston, residents successfully lobbied the federal government for a lighthouse. Construction was completed in 1873. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on...
(the only remaining 2nd Order Fresnel still in operation on the Great Lakes) and Rock of Ages LightRock of Ages LightThe Rock of Ages Light is a U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse on a small rock outcropping approximately miles west of Washington Island and west of Isle Royale, in Keweenaw County, Michigan...
. It was automated in 1976. The original lens is on display at the Whitefish Point Light Museum. - It is the sole "aluminum-topped" lighthouse on the Great LakesGreat LakesThe 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...
; most of the other lanterns are cast ironCast ironCast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
. - The highly visible diagonal DaymarkDaymarkA daymark or a day marker is a structure such as a tower constructed on land as an aid to navigation by sailors. While similar in concept to a lighthouse, a daymark does not have a light and so is usually only visible during daylight hours...
paint job, sometimes described as red and white 'candy caneCandy caneA candy cane is a hard cane-shaped candy stick. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint or cinnamon; however, it is also made in a variety of other flavors and may be decorated with stripes of different colors and thicknesses...
stripeStripeStripe or Stripes may refer to:* Stripes * Stripes * S.T.R.I.P.E., a fictional superhero* Striper, a fish* Stripes Convenience Stores* Data striping, a data storage technique...
', is the only 'barber pole' lighthouse in the United States. However, black and white helical daymarks do appear on Cape Hatteras LightCape Hatteras LightCape Hatteras Light is a lighthouse located on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina near the community of Buxton, and is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore....
and St. Augustine LightSt. Augustine LightThe St. Augustine Light is an active lighthouse on the north end of Anastasia Island, within the current city limits of St. Augustine, Florida. The tower, built in 1874, is owned by the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, Inc. , a not-for-profit maritime museum and private aid-to-navigation...
. - Consequently, the State of Michigan has used it as an iconSecular iconA secular icon is an image or pictograph of a person or thing used for other than religious purpose. -Icons versus symbols:...
to generate revenue, a graceful ornamentOrnament (architecture)In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
on its Save Our Lights, Michigan License Plate.
The White Shoal Light is the prominent design element in the "Save Our Lights" license plate for the State of Michigan; the sale of which helps fund lighthouse preservation. Michigan is the only state that supports lighthouse preservation with a program that includes annual grants from the state to local preservation groups. Thus, there are many organizations and their volunteers working hard to save and restore lighthouses. The Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy is a state preservation society, and the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association is also based in the state.
White Shoal Light is one of over 150 past and present lighthouses in Michigan. Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state. See Lighthouses in the United States
Lighthouses in the United States
This 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...
.
Because of its unique form and coloration, it is often the subject of photographs, drawings, and even of needlepoint
Needlepoint
Needlepoint is a form of counted thread embroidery in which yarn is stitched through a stiff open weave canvas. Most needlepoint designs completely cover the canvas...
illustrations.
Popular culture
It was sponsored by the families of John & Janet Roe & Eric & Sundin; built by Jack Hensley and Members of the Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club, dedicated "To the memory of Eric Sundin." It is located at GPS: 34º 27.16' N - 114º 21.12' W , and has a red light that flashes sixty times per minute. See also List of lighthouses in the United States. It is considered to be iconic, and has been the subject of memorabilia.
Seeing the light
A private boat is the best way to see this light close up. Short of that, Shepler's Ferry Service out of Mackinaw CityMackinaw City, Michigan
Mackinaw City is a village in Emmet and Cheboygan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2000 census the population was 859. The name "Mackinaw City" is a bit of a misnomer as it is actually a village...
offers periodic lighthouse cruises in the summer season. Its "westbound Lighthouse Tour" — three hours more or less — includes passes by various lights, including White Shoal Light, Waugoshance Light
Waugoshance Light
The lighthouse at Waugoshance protects boats from a shoal area at the northern end of Lake Michigan. The lighthouse is located in Emmet County, Michigan, United States, and in U.S. Coast Guard District No. 9.-Reason for lighthouse:...
(which it replaced), Wilderness State Park
Wilderness State Park
Wilderness State Park is an state park in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Emmet County in Northern Michigan. The nearest towns are Carp Lake, Michigan and Mackinaw City, Michigan. The state park is operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources...
, Gray's Reef Light (originally built in 1891), and St. Helena Island Light. A so-called grand lighthouse excursion is a yearly event sponsored through the Great Lakes Lightkeeper Association, and includes these and many other lights. Schedules and rates are available from Shepler's.
Another alternative is to charter a seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
to make a tour of the Mackinac Straits and environs.
Specialized further reading
- "A Tour of the Lights of the Straits." Michigan History 70 (Sep/Oct 1986), pp. 17–29.
- Murphy, L.A., "Investigation of Foundation Stability at White Shoal Light Station, Lake Michigan." Coast Guard Engineers Digest No. 96 (Jan-Feb, 1956), pp. 34–38.