Thunder Bay Island

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thunder Bay Island is a 215-acre (0.9 km²) island in Lake Huron. The island is one of eight constituent islands of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The island is part of Alpena County. It marks the entrance to Thunder Bay, the harbor of Alpena, Michigan and location of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

[edit] Lighthouse

Thunder Bay Island Light, located on Thunder Bay Island's southeast tip, is one of the oldest operating lighthouses in Michigan. The third operating U.S. lighthouse in Lake Huron was built here in 1831, but it disintegrated almost at once and had to be rebuilt of local limestone. This 40' high (12m) 1830s light tower was raised 10 feet (3 meters) to its current height of 50 feet (15m) in 1857, and sheathed with brick. A Fourth Order Fresnel lens was installed. This 1857 light tower is the current Thunder Bay Island Light. The Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 19, 1984.

The lightkeeper's house was rebuilt in 1868, and a steam-powered foghorn was added in 1871. The lighthouse was manned during the seasons of Great Lakes navigation from 1832 until automation in 1983, more than 150 years. In 1997 the U.S. Coast Guard leased Thunder Bay Island Light to the Thunder Bay Island Preservation Society.

[edit] Fishing station

During the 1830s and 1840s, a commodity market in barrelled fish arose on Lake Huron. The fresh-caught fish was quickly brought to a fishing station after being caught, and salted for preservation. A fishing station sprouted on Thunder Bay Island during this period, and an 1846 gazetteer counted 160 settlers on the island and 31 fishing boats that called the island their home port. Most of these fishing boats were small Mackinaw boats. The total catch is said to have been 12,000 barrels of fish per year. After a few decades the yield of Lake Huron fish declined.