13th Annual Apostle Islands Lighthouse Celebration September 3-20, 2008 * 1-800-779-4487 Apostle Islands Lighthouses |
| The western most lighthouse in the Apostle Islands is the Sand Island Lighthouse. Mariners reported that it was very difficult to see the Raspberry Island Light inside the west channel upon approach to the Apostle Islands from the west. It was for this reason that the Sand Island Light was built in 1881. The cost to build the light was $18,000, and it's the only Apostle Islands lighthouse built of locally quarried brownstone. |
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| The Raspberry Island Lighthouse was constructed in 1863 at a cost of $6,000. It was built to mark the west shipping channel through the Apostle Islands to the boom city of Ashland, WI. The red brick fog horn signal building was added in 1903. The head Keeper at Raspberry Island could expect an annual salary of $600 for cleaning the brass and glass parts in the light tower every day, along with numerous other tasks. The original Fresnel lens from Raspberry Island is on display at the Historical Museum on Madeline Island. |
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| The Outer Island Lighthouse was completed in 1874 at a cost of $40,000. This lighthouse was necessary to protect vessels from the northeastern approaches to the Apostle Islands. Life on Outer Island was very isolated, considering that the station is 32 miles from Bayfield and 12 miles from Devils Island, however the head Keeper usually traveled to Bayfield once a month for supplies leaving his assistant behind to tend to the light. Due to Lake Superior's current water level, the cruise boat is unable to land at Outer Island. |
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| The first lighthouse built among the Apostle Islands was the Old Michigan Island Lighthouse in 1857. After a year of operation the lighthouse inspector arrived to discover that the contractor built this lighthouse on Michigan Island instead of Long Island, the island it had been originally commissioned for. The contractor was never paid due to his error and the inspector extinguished the light. In 1869, the US government decided there was a need for a lighthouse on Michigan Island, so they refurbished the structure and a new three and a half order Fresnel lens was installed. |
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| In 1910, a need was established for a lighthouse on the eastern end of Michigan Island. Further study indicated that elevating the present light tower would be more cost effective. The Michigan Island Lighthouse was built from an existing tower that came from Schooner's Ledge in a river near Philadelphia. It was moved to the island in 1919 and finally erected in 1929, along with a Keeper's cottage and a building to house an electric generator and radio fog beacon. |
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| The first structure that was built on Devils Island was a hastily constructed wooden platform and tower due to a lack of funds at that time. The wooden tower was demolished in 1904, after the construction of the Devils Island Lighthouse was completed in 1898. The new Fresnel lens finally arrived in 1901 at a cost of $3928.32. The first Keeper's quarters were built in 1892, using a Queen Anne architectural style, and the assistant Keeper's quarters were completed in 1896. |
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| The original LaPointe Lighthouse was built of wood on a timber foundation and eventually had an attached clapboard house. The Keeper thought the lighthouse would fall into the lake because it was built on sand that was in constant motion. A fog signal building was built in 1890, and a new tower (pictured) was constructed next to it in 1895. The new 67' tower was made of steel and the 4th order Fresnel lens from the old light tower was moved to the new tower. |
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| The second light tower on Long Island, the Chequamegon Point Lighthouse, was a 42' tower with a 4th order Fresnel lens. It was constructed on the westernmost tip of Long Island in 1897. In 1986, the Chequamegon Point light tower was moved by the Coast Guard back from the shoreline to protect it from falling into the lake. This light was automated in 1964, when the US Coast Guard moved their station to Bayfield. |
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| The Ashland Breakwater Lighthouse is not located within the Apostle Islands. This lighthouse, built in 1915, is located on the south shore of the Chequamegon Bay in Lake Superior, off the coastline of Ashland, WI. At one time, Ashland shipped from 16 commercial docks. In 1893, seven thousand one hundred four ships departed loaded from the harbor, making Ashland and the Chequamegon Bay the second busiest seaport on the Great Lakes - second only to Chicago! |
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Keeper of the Light P.O Box 990 - 19 Front St. Bayfield, WI 54814 |
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1-800-779-4487
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