 Thunder Bay Island Light' undated USCG | |
 | |
| Location | Alpena County, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°02′30″N 83°12′00″W / 45.04167°N 83.20000°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1857 (station established 1831) |
| Foundation | Dressed stone and timber |
| Construction | Limestone |
| Automated | 1983 |
| Height | 63 feet (19 m) |
| Shape | Frustum of a cone with attached keeper's residence |
| Markings | White with red lantern |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place  |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1857 |
| Focal height | 63 feet (19 m) |
| Lens | Fourth-order Fresnel lens[1] |
| Range | 16 |
| Characteristic | FI G 10s |
Thunder Bay Island Light Station | |
| Nearest city | Alpena, Michigan |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1832 |
| MPS | U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 84001371[2] |
| Added to NRHP | July 19, 1984 |
Thunder Bay Island Light, located on Thunder Bay Island's southeast tip, is one of the oldest operating lighthouses in Michigan. The third operating U.S. lighthouse in Lake Huron was built here in 1831, but it disintegrated almost at once and was rebuilt in 1832 of local limestone.[1] This 40-foot (12 m) 1830s light tower was raised 10 feet (3.0 m)) to a height of 50 feet (15 m) in 1857, and sheathed with brick. A fourth order Fresnel lens was installed.[1] This 1857 light tower is the current Thunder Bay Island Light, although the tower has been further altered and is currently 63 feet (19 m) high.[3]
A fog bell was installed in 1858,[1] and the lightkeeper's house was rebuilt in 1868.[1] A steam-powered fog horn was added in 1871, and a fog signal building sheltering the fog signal apparatus was constructed in 1892.[1]
The lighthouse was staffed during the seasons of Great Lakes navigation from 1832 until the staff was replaced by automation in 1983, more than 150 years later.
- ^ a b c d e f "Lighthouses and Life-Saving Stations". Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.