DeTour Reef Light

DeTour Reef Light
Distant view from Drummond Island
Map
LocationLake Huron, Michigan
Coordinates45°56′56.12″N 83°54′10.98″W / 45.9489222°N 83.9030500°W / 45.9489222; -83.9030500
Tower
FoundationConcrete Crib pier
ConstructionReinforced concrete and steel
Automated1974[1]
HeightTower - 78 feet (24 m)[2]
ShapeSquare tower, Integral White square superstructure[3]decahedron lantern[4]
MarkingsWhite with black trim & red roof
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place, Michigan state historic site Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signalHORN: 2 every 60s
Racon"D" (Delta)(– • •)
Light
First lit1931
Focal height74 feet (23 m)
Lensthird and one-half order Fresnel lens (1908–1978), VRB-25, fourth order Fresnel lens (1857–1870) Edit this on Wikidata
RangeW 16 nautical miles; 29 kilometres (18 mi), R 15 miles (24 km)
CharacteristicFl W 10s (R sector) Red from 079.5° to 189.5°.
DeTour Reef Light Station
Nearest cityDeTour Township, Michigan
Area0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
ArchitectOffice of Supt. of Lighthouses
Architectural styleClassical Revival or Art Deco[6]
MPSLight Stations of the United States MPS
NRHP reference No.05000151[5]
Added to NRHPMarch 15, 2005

The DeTour Reef Light is a non-profit-operated lighthouse marking the southern entrance of the DeTour Passage between the eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Drummond Island.[7] The light is an automated active aid to navigation.[8] It marks the northern end of Lake Huron. The passage is used by almost all of the Great Lakes commercial freighter traffic moving to and from Lake Superior, with approximately 5,000 vessel movements annually. It is said to be "the gateway to Lake Superior."[6] In addition, many recreational boaters use the passage. The Light is located in Lake Huron, three miles (5 km) south of the nearest town, DeTour Village, Michigan.

  1. ^ Lighthouse Central, DeTour Reef light The Ultimate Guide to Upper Michigan Lighthouses by Jerry Roach (Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC - 2007). ISBN 978-0-9747977-2-4.
  2. ^ Pepper, Terry. "Database of Tower Heights". Seeing the Light. terrypepper.com. Archived from the original on 2000-09-18.
  3. ^ National Park Service Maritime Heritage Project, Inventory of Historic Lights, De Tour Reef Light.
  4. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  5. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  6. ^ a b Wobser, David, Detour Reef Light -- Gateway to Lake Superior: A Textbook Example of Lighthouse Restoration, which originally appeared in the Summer 2003 issue ofArchived 2012-03-11 at the Wayback Machine Great Laker magazine, Boatnerd.com.
  7. ^ Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 128.
  8. ^ Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, DeTour Reef Light.