Little Traverse Light
Location | Harbor Springs, Michigan |
---|---|
Coordinates | 45°25′9.078″N84°58′38.682″W/ 45.41918833°N 84.97741167°W[1] |
Tower | |
Construction | red brick |
Height | 41 feet (12 m)[2] |
Shape | Square, attached 2 storyLighthouse keeper's house |
Markings | Red brick, Natural with white lantern, red roof |
Light | |
First lit | 1884 |
Deactivated | 1963 |
Focal height | 41 feet (12 m) |
Lens | Fourth orderFresnel lens |
Range | 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi)[1] |
Characteristic | Fl G 6s |
TheLittle Traverse Lightis located inEmmet Countyin theU.S. stateofMichiganon the north side of theLittle Traverse BayofLake Michiganon Harbor Point inWest Traverse TownshipnearHarbor Springs, Michigan.It marks the entrance to the harbor at Harbor Springs.
History
[edit]In 1871,Orlando M. Poerecommended the construction of this light. However, a paucity of funds delayed theUnited States Congressin acting on the request.[3]
The site was purchased in 1883, and theUnited States Lighthouse Servicebuilt the light in 1884.
The decagonal lantern room is painted white and has a red roof. The fourth order Fresnel lens was manufactured in Paris by L. Sautter, Lemonnie & Co. in 1881.
A "very rare"fog bellsquare pyramidal tower was built in 1896 in front of the tower. The structure and the striking mechanism are still in place.[4]Other structures included a brick paint locker, summer kitchen, wooden boat storage shed, and auto garage[5]
The lighthouse was manned by personnel until 1963 when a modern replacement light and tower was constructed, consisting of a white steel skeleton on a foundation of concrete. It is 62 feet (19 m) tall, with a focal plane of 72 feet (22 m), It emits a green flash every six seconds. It is located on the point east of the lighthouse.[4][6]
It is very difficult to visit the lighthouse as it is located on private property and unless you own a house in the gated community or are a guest. The lighthouse is not available to the public and people are not allowed inside. There is checkpoint that is manned 24 hours a day at the entrance.
This unique lighthouse has been the subject of paintings.[7]
Elizabeth Whitney Williamswas one of the first femalelighthouse keepersto serve on theGreat Lakes,and wrote a memoir that included her experiences at this light.[8]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^abLight List, Volume VII, Great Lakes(PDF).Light List.United States Coast Guard.
- ^Terry Pepper, database on heights and focal planesArchived2000-09-18 at theWayback Machine
- ^Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Little Traverse Light
- ^abRowlett, Russ."Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Western Lower Peninsula".The Lighthouse Directory.University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- ^Wobser, David, Little Traverse Light atArchived2008-10-11 at theWayback MachineBoatnerd.com.
- ^National Park Service, Maritime Heritage, Inventory of Historic Light Stations, Little Traverse Light.
- ^L. William Boyer, Little Traverse Light.
- ^"West Michigan Tourist Association,Little Traverse (Harbor Point) Light".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-05-17.Retrieved2008-08-13.
Further reading
[edit]- Bibliography on Michigan lighthouses.
- Clifford, Mary Louise & Clifford, J. Candace,Women Who Kept the Lights: An Illustrated History of Female Lighthouse Keepers,Michigan History Magazine (November/December 1981).
- Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein,The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses(2002)ISBN1-59223-102-0;ISBN978-1-59223-102-7.
- Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan.The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes.Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995.ISBN0-8143-2554-8ISBN9780814325544.
- Jones, Ray & Bruce Roberts,American Lighthouses(Globe Pequot, September 1, 1998, 1st Ed.)ISBN0-7627-0324-5;ISBN978-0-7627-0324-1.
- Jones, Ray,The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference(Globe Pequot, January 1, 2004, 1st ed.)ISBN0-7627-2735-7;ISBN978-0-7627-2735-3.
- Noble, Dennis,Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy(Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997).ISBN1-55750-638-8;ISBN978-1-55750-638-2.
- Oleszewski, Wes,Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses,(Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998)ISBN0-932212-98-0.
- Penrod, John,Lighthouses of Michigan,(Berrien Center, Michigan: Penrod/Hiawatha, 1998)ISBN978-0-942618-78-5ISBN9781893624238.
- Penrose, Laurie and Bill, ATraveler’s Guide to 116 Michigan Lighthouses(Petoskey, Michigan: Friede Publications, 1999).ISBN0-923756-03-5ISBN9780923756031
- Pepper, Terry."Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-01-30.
- Putnam, George R.,Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States,(Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
- United States Coast Guard,Aids to Navigation,(Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
- Price, Scott T."U. S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation: A Historical Bibliography".United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
- Wagner, John L."Beacons Shining in the Night: The Lighthouses of Michigan".Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University.
- Wagner, John L.,Michigan Lighthouses: An Aerial Photographic Perspective,(East Lansing, Michigan: John L. Wagner, 1998)ISBN1-880311-01-1ISBN9781880311011.
- Wargin, Ed,Legends of Light: A Michigan Lighthouse Portfolio(Ann Arbor Media Group, 2006).ISBN978-1-58726-251-7.
- Williams, Elizabeth Whitney Van Riper,A Child of the Sea; and Life Among the Mormons.
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia,Great Lakes Lighthouses EncyclopediaHardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006)ISBN1-55046-399-3.