1849 Whitefish Point Light Station - whitefishpointlight171457
by Frank J Benz
Title
1849 Whitefish Point Light Station - whitefishpointlight171457
Artist
Frank J Benz
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
1849 Whitefish Point Light Station
This beautiful lighthouse has been meticulously restored and well worth visiting if you are ever in the northern part of Michigan, especially if you happen to be wandering about the Upper Peninsula.
Whitefish Point Light has been argued to be the most important light on Lake Superior as all vessels entering or leaving Lake Superior must pass Whitefish Point. The Whitefish Point area contains the most shipwrecks of all areas in Lake Superior. First lit in the year 1849 it was one of the first lights on the shore of Lake Superior however the viscous storms and fiercely strong winds took its toll on the lighthouse structure and it had to be reconstructed.
In 1861 the light, and keepers house, was replaced with the current 80 foot tall steel cylinder supported by an iron skeletal framework that was engineered to withstand the very high stresses that the extremely strong winds and storms that frequent the area produce. In 1937 a brick Fog Signal Building was erected in front of the light tower. The light, fog signal and radio beacon was fully automated by the Coast Guard in 1971 and is still in current usage.
The Edmund Fitzgerald went down approximately 15 to 17 miles northwest of the Whitefish Point Light Station on November 10, 1975. The Edmund Fitzgeralds ship bell and its supporting structure are respectfully on display at the Shipwreck Museum next door to the lighthouse.
Uploaded
June 18th, 2017
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