Au Sable Light
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| Au Sable Light | |
|---|---|
 Au Sable Light Station |
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| Location: | Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior |
| Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS) |
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| Year first constructed: | 1874 |
| Year first lit: | 1874 |
| Automated: | 1958 |
| Foundation: | Wood pilings |
| Construction: | Brick |
| Tower shape: | Conical |
| Markings/Pattern: | White with black lantern |
| Height: | 87 ft (26.5 m) |
| Elevation: | 107 ft (32.6 m) |
| Original lens: | Third-order Fresnel |
| Current lens: | 300 mm |
| Range: | 11 mi (17.7 km) |
| Characteristic: | Flashing white every 6 s |
Au Sable Light is an active lighthouse in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior west of Grand Marais,Michigan off of H-58. Until 1910, the light was called Big Sable Light, not to be confused with Big Sable Point Light near Ludington, Michigan on Lake Michigan. Also on Lake Michigan is the Little Sable Point Light south of Pentwater, Michigan.
The lighthouse tower and attached keepers' quarters were built in 1874. The tower is a white brick conical tower with a black lantern. A red brick lightkeeper's house stands next to the lighthouse. It originally had a third-order Fresnel lens, which is now on display at the light station. The lighthouse was automated in 1958 and is currently equipped with a 300-mm solar-powered light.
A wooden boathouse was added in 1875; the fog signal building was added in 1897; the keepers' quarters were converted to a duplex in 1909; and the oil house was raised in 1915.
The lighthouse tower is open to the public in summer. The complex was maintained by the National Park Service, and the automated light continues to be operated by the United States Coast Guard. The National Park Service's stated goal is to continue to maintain the lighthouse complex to its 1909-10 appearance, during its first year of operation as a two-person station.[1]
The Light Station is part of the National Park Service's Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The Au Sable Light Station is on the National Register of Historic Places, #78000374. [2] [3] [4]
[edit] References
- ^ Inventory of Historic Light Stations-Michigan-Au Sable Light
- ^ http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/WEBLIGHTHOUSES/LHMI.html Light Stations, v. 7, Great Lakes, p. 143, 2006.
- ^ http://www.cr.nps.gov/maritime/park/ausable.htm National Park Service Inventory of Historic Light Stations
- ^ http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/WEBLIGHTHOUSES/LHMI.html U.S. Coast Guard Michigan Light Stations
[edit] External links
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