Little Traverse Light

Little Traverse Light
	The Little Traverse Lighthouse with its replacement light tower and fog bell
Location	Harbor Springs, Michigan
Coordinates	45°25′9.078″N84°58′38.682″W/ 45.41918833°N 84.97741167°W
Tower
Construction	red brick
Height	41 feet (12 m)
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)
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

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]

Notes

^^a ^bLight List, Volume VII, Great Lakes(PDF).Light List.United States Coast Guard.
^Terry Pepper, database on heights and focal planes Archived2000-09-18 at theWayback Machine
^Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Little Traverse Light
^^a ^bRowlett, 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 at Archived2008-10-11 at theWayback Machine Boatnerd.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.

External links

[uscg7-1] Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes(PDF).Light List.United States Coast Guard.

[2] Terry Pepper, database on heights and focal planes Archived2000-09-18 at theWayback Machine

[3] Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Little Traverse Light

[rowlett-4] Rowlett, Russ."Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Western Lower Peninsula".The Lighthouse Directory.University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

[5] Wobser, David, Little Traverse Light at Archived2008-10-11 at theWayback Machine Boatnerd.com.

[6] National Park Service, Maritime Heritage, Inventory of Historic Light Stations, Little Traverse Light.

[7] L. William Boyer, Little Traverse Light.

[8] "West Michigan Tourist Association,Little Traverse (Harbor Point) Light".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-05-17.Retrieved2008-08-13.

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v t e Lighthouses in Michigan
Main:List of lighthouses in the United States
Northern Upper Peninsula	Au Sable Big Bay Point Copper Harbor Copper Harbor Front Range Crisp Point Eagle Harbor Eagle Harbor Range Lights Eagle River Fourteen Mile Point Grand Island East Channel Grand Island Harbor Rear Range Grand Island North Grand Marais Range Lights Granite Island Gull Rock Huron Island Isle Royale Manitou Island Marquette Breakwater Outer Marquette Harbor Mendota (Bete Grise) Munising Front Range Munising Rear Range Ontonagon Ontonagon Harbor West Breakwater Portage River (Jacobsville) Passage Island Presque Isle Harbor Breakwater Light Rock Harbor Rock of Ages Sand Hills Sand Point Light (Baraga) St. Martin Island Stannard Rock Thunder Bay Island Whitefish Point
Southern Upper Peninsula	DeTour Reef Lansing Shoals Manistique East Breakwater Martin Reef Menominee Pier Minneapolis Shoal Naubinway Island Peninsula Point Poverty Island Sand Point Seul Choix Squaw Island St. Martin Island
St. Mary's River	Frying Pan Island Pipe Island Point Iroquois Round Island Light (St. Mary's River) Six Mile Point Range Rear Winter Point Range Front
Portage River/Ship Canal	Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Keweenaw Waterway Upper Entrance Portage Lake Rouleau Point Range Front and Rear Lights
Straits of Mackinac	Bois Blanc McGulpin Point Old Mackinac Point Round Island Round Island Passage St. Helena Island Wawatam
Western Lower Peninsula	Beaver Island Harbor Beaver Island Head Big Sable Point Cedar River Charlevoix Charlevoix South Pier Frankfort Frankfort South Range Grand Haven North Pierhead Grand Haven South Pierhead Entrance Grand Haven South Pierhead Inner Grand Traverse Grays Reef Holland Harbor Ile Aux Galets Little Sable Point Little Traverse Ludington Manistee Pierhead Manning Memorial Mission Point Mission Point (1933) Muskegon Breakwater Muskegon Pier North Manitou Shoal Pentwater North Pierhead Pentwater South Pierhead Point Betsie Portage Lake South Fox Island South Haven South Manitou Island St. Joseph North Pier Inner St. Joseph North Pier Outer Waugoshance White River White Shoal
Eastern Lower Peninsula	Alpena Caseville Harbor Charity Island Cheboygan Crib Cheboygan River Front Range Detroit River Fort Gratiot Forty Mile Point Fourteen Foot Shoal Gibraltar Gravelly Shoal Harbor Beach Lake St. Clair Mariners Memorial Middle Island Miller Memorial New Presque Isle Old Presque Isle Peche Island Rear Range Poe Reef Pointe aux Barques Port Austin Port Sanilac Saginaw Bay Saginaw River Rear Range Spectacle Reef St. Clair Flats Front and Rear Range Light Sturgeon Point Tawas Point Thunder Bay Island Tri-Centennial Light of Detroit William Livingstone Memorial Windmill Point
Historical (lost) lights	Au Sable North Pierhead Belle Isle Clinton River Ecorse Ecorse Range Rear Gibraltar Grassy Island Grassy Island North Channel Range Lights Grassy Island South Channel Range Lights Grosse Ile North Channel Range Lights Grosse Ile South Channel Range Lights Harwood Point East Range Front Kalamazoo River Mama Juda Mama Juda Range Front Manistee Main Middle Lake George Monroe Pier New Buffalo North Manitou Island Saginaw Bay Sand Beach North Entrance East Squaw Point St. Mary's River Lower Range Front Vidal Shoals Channel Range Front and Rear Lights Windmill Point Range Front and Rear Lights
Related	LightshipHuron List of lifesaving stations in Michigan Wixom Lake,Musselman Island lighthouse

Little Traverse Light

History

See also

Notes

Further reading

External links