The Copper Harbor Light is a
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
located in the harbor of
Copper Harbor, Michigan USA on the
Keweenaw Peninsula
The Keweenaw Peninsula ( , sometimes locally ) is the northernmost part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States, leading to its moniker of "Copper Country." As o ...
of
Upper Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the Peninsulas of Michigan, two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from t ...
inside
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park.
It is a
Michigan State Historic Site and listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
History
The Copper Harbor Lighthouse was built on the tip of the eastern point of land that hugs the harbor. The lighthouse aided in the transport of copper from the
Upper Peninsula. Ships carrying immigrants, supplies, and equipment increased dramatically.
[Photographs Copper Harbor Light, Lighthouse Central, ''The Ultimate Guide to Upper Michigan Lighthouses'' by Jerry Roach (Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC - 2007).](_blank)
.
Funding to build the light was approved in 1847. The first tower was constructed in 1848 and resembled that at
Old Presque Isle Lighthouse.
The
Stone Masonry was dismantled, and the stones used as the foundation for the replacement lighthouse built in 1866.
The current lightkeeper's dwelling house is a survivor of the first light tower. An improved lighthouse, which also survives, was raised in 1866 three years before the installation of the
Copper Harbor Front Range Light
The Copper Harbor Front Range Light is in Copper Harbor, Michigan.
While the Copper Harbor Light effectively illuminated the area of the harbor, it failed to guide mariners through the narrow opening of rocks at its entrance. Construction on th ...
and the
Copper Harbor Rear Range Light. The steel light tower in current use went into service in 1933.
The station was established in 1849. A
Fresnel lens was installed in 1856. The current tower was first lit in 1866. It is no longer operational. It was automated in 1919, and deactivated in 1933. The foundation materials are dressed stone and timer, and the building was made of brick. The tower is square. The color is "natural with black lantern." A
keeper's house is attached.
[
In 1933, the light itself was removed from the lighthouse, and placed on the adjacent tall white skeleton tower,][ which has a focal plane of . It has a range of .][
On February 22, 1974, the lighthouse was designated a Michigan State Historic Site.]
Present
The Copper Harbor Lighthouse is currently (as of 2006) operated as a unit of the Michigan Department of History, Arts, and Libraries. It is open to the public in summer months and features a museum about the lighthouse and Lake Superior maritime history.
Other buildings on the location include a detached 1849 dwelling house, which functioned as a storage and oil house.[ National Park Service]
Maritime History Project, Inventory of Historic Lights, Copper Harbor Light.
/ref>
A lighthouse tour is available, complete with a ride on a wooden double-ender launch. The boat leaves from the Municipal pier in Copper Harbor, typically taking 15 minutes to reach the point.
See also
* Lighthouses in the United States
References
External links
Anderson, Kraig, Lighthouse Friends, Copper Harbor Light
Aerial photos, Copper Harbor Light, marinas.com
*
* ttp://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/SPECIAL01/80519001 Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses. Detroit News
*
* National Park Servicebr>Maritime History, Inventory of Historic Lights, Copper Harbor Light
Photographs, Directions, Waypoints and History
from Lighthouse Central
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Historic American Engineering Record in Michigan
Lighthouses completed in 1848
Houses completed in 1849
Lighthouses completed in 1866
Lighthouses completed in 1933
Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
Lighthouse museums in Michigan
Museums in Keweenaw County, Michigan
Michigan State Historic Sites in Keweenaw County
National Register of Historic Places in Keweenaw County, Michigan
1848 establishments in Michigan