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USCG archive photo -
1940s overview of the Raspberry Island Light Station -
Raspberry Island Light Station from Lake Superior
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Raspberry Island Light 
Summary
The Raspberry Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on the southern part of Raspberry Island, marking the west channel of the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, near the city of Bayfield. It was erected in 1862, marking the western channel.
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| Location | Raspberry Island, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 46°58′13.2″N 90°48′17.47″W / 46.970333°N 90.8048528°W[1] |
| Tower | |
| Foundation | Stone |
| Construction | Wood |
| Automated | 1947 |
| Height | 43 feet (13 m) |
| Shape | Square, attached white bldg. w/red roof |
| Markings | white w/black trim & lantern |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places contributing property  |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1862 |
| Focal height | 77 feet (23 m)[2] |
| Lens | Fifth order Fresnel lens |
| Range | 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi)[1] |
| Characteristic | Fl W 2.5s[1] |
Raspberry Island Light | |
| Area | 33.8 acres (13.7 ha) |
| Built | 1857 |
| Built by | United States Lighthouse Service |
| Part of | Apostle Islands Lighthouses (ID77000145[3]) |
| Added to NRHP | March 8, 1977 |
History edit
It is said to be one of the few surviving wood framed lighthouses left on Lake Superior. The complex includes a square tower rising up from the attached Lighthouse keeper's quarters, a brick fog signal building, frame barn, brick oil house, boathouse, two outhouses, and a dock.[4]
The light was automated in 1947 and was later transferred to the National Park Service as part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. It is a contributing property of the Apostle Islands Lighthouses and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.[3] It is also listed in the Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey, WI-312. The original Fresnel lens is on display at the Madeline Island Historical Museum.
The old battery system in the fog signal building was replaced by a solar powered 300 mm Tideland Signal acrylic optic atop a pole, which continues to light the island to this day.[5] The location is an active aid to navigation, with a characteristic white flash every 2.5 seconds.[6]
Access edit
Most of the Apostle Islands light stations may be viewed (but not accessed) on the Apostle Islands Cruise Service water taxi or by private boat during the summer.[7] During the Annual Apostle Island Lighthouse Celebration[8] Ferry tour service is available for all the lighthouses. In the tourist season, park rangers are on the island to greet visitors.[9]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
- ^ Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes".
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ Wobser, David, Raspberry Island Light Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine, Boatnerd
- ^ Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Raspberry Island Lighthouse".
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Northern Wisconsin". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- ^ Apostle Islands Cruise Service.
- ^ Apostle Island Lighthouse Celebration.
- ^ Wobser, David, La Pointe Light Archived 2009-01-07 at the Wayback Machine, Boatnerd Originally in Great Laker Magazine.
Further reading edit
- Havighurst, Walter (1943) The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes, Macmillan Publishers.
- Oleszewski, Wes, Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
- Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes".
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3.
External links edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Raspberry Island Light Station.
- Aerial photos of Raspberry Island Light, Marina.com
- Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey Survey number HABS WI-312
- Madeline Island Historical Museum Archived 2004-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
- Lighthouse friends, Raspberry Island Light article
- National Park Service Maritime History Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin - Raspberry Island Light Station
- Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Wisconsin". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
- Lighthouse Restored Video produced by Wisconsin Public Television