Stannard Rock Light

Stannard Rock Light
Map
LocationOff Keweenaw Peninsula in Lake Superior
Coordinates47°11′0.62″N 87°13′30.42″W / 47.1835056°N 87.2251167°W / 47.1835056; -87.2251167
Tower
Constructed1883
FoundationCrib[1]
ConstructionDressed stone,[1] Monolithic limestone/iron bolts.
Automated1962[1]
Height100 feet (30 m)[2]
ShapeFrustum of a cone tower on cylindrical crib[1]
MarkingsNatural with black lantern[2]
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signalAir diaphone (originally steam whistle)[1]
Light
First lit1883[1]
Focal height102 feet (31 m)[2]
Lens- 3rd order Fresnel Lens (original), Solar powered 12-inch (300 mm) Tideland Signal ML-300 acrylic lens[2] (current)
Intensity3,000 candlepower[3]
Range18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi)
CharacteristicFlashing, white, 6 sec[4]
Stannard Rock Lighthouse
Arealess than one acre
ArchitectUS Lighthouse Board: Major Godfrey Weitzel
Architectural stylelimestone monolith
NRHP reference No.73000953[5]
Added to NRHPMarch 30, 1973

The Stannard Rock Light is a lighthouse located on a reef that was the most serious hazard to navigation on Lake Superior.[6][7][8] The exposed crib of the Stannard Rock Light is rated as one of the top ten engineering feats in the United States.[9] It is 24 miles (39 km) from the nearest land, making it the most distant (from shore) lighthouse in the United States. It was one of the "stag stations", manned only by men, and had the nickname "The Loneliest Place in the World".

The lighthouse was automated in 1962 and the United States Coast Guard still maintains it as an active aid to navigation. It is closed to the public and can only be viewed by boat or airplane. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Michigan". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d "Stannard Rock Light". Inventory of Historic Light Stations, Michigan Lighthouses. National Park Service Maritime Heritage Project. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  3. ^ Holland, Jr., Francis Ross (1988). America's Lighthouses: An Illustrated History. New York: Courier Dover Publications. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-486-25576-7. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  4. ^ Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
  5. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  6. ^ "Stannard Rock (Lake Superior) Light ARLHS USA-808". Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society. May 12, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  7. ^ "Lighthouse 'U' List". Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009.
  8. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  9. ^ "Stannard Rock Lighthouse, Marquette, MI, Lake Superior". Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy. August 24, 2003. Retrieved August 26, 2012.