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 lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

located in the harbor of

Copper Harbor, Michigan Copper Harbor is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located within Grant Township. The population of the CDP was 136 as of the 2020 census. The communit ...

USA on the

Keweenaw Peninsula The Keweenaw Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of the greater landmass of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw Peninsula projects about northeasterly into Lake Superior, forming Keweena ...

of Upper Michigan inside

Fort Wilkins Historic State Park Fort Wilkins Historic State Park is a historic preservation and public recreation area operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at Copper Harbor, Michigan. The park preserves the restored 1844 army military outpost, Fort Wilkins ...

. It is a

Michigan State Historic Site The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office is one of 59 state historic preservation offices established according to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 that plays a role in implementing federal historic preservation policy in th ...

and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

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 The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula b ...

. 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).
. 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 Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...

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 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 A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...

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. On June 7, 2012, it was listed on the

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 The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

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.

References

External links

Anderson, Kraig, Lighthouse Friends, Copper Harbor Light

Aerial photos, Copper Harbor Light, marinas.com
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* * ttp://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/SPECIAL01/80519001 Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses.

Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on February ...

* *

br>Maritime History, Inventory of Historic Lights, Copper Harbor Light

Photographs, Directions, Waypoints and History
from Lighthouse Central

{{authority control 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

History

Present

See also

References

External links