Bois Blanc Light
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| Bois Blanc Light | |
|---|---|
 1867 Bois Blanc Lighthouse |
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| Location: | Bois Blanc Island, Michigan |
| Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS) |
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| Year first lit: | 1867 |
| Deactivated: | 1924 |
| Construction: | brick |
| Tower shape: | square |
| Height: | 38 feet (12 m) 53 feet (16 m) focal plane |
| Original lens: | Fourth order Fresnel lens |
| Range: | 13.5 miles (21.7 km) |
| Characteristic: | [1] |
There have been five lighthouses erected on Bois Blanc Island, two of which are currently standing. The original, constructed in 1829, was the second lighthouse constructed on Lake Huron.[2] Due to rising water levels, the lighthouse became unstable, and eventually collapsed on December 9, 1837.[3] Rebuilding of the lighthouse occurred in the summer of 1839, further inland of the original structure. Eventually this structure became dilapidated, and a new lighthouse was constructed in 1867.
This light was decommissioned in 1924 and boarded up, being replaced by an automated acetylene light atop a 35-foot tall black steel skeleton tower to the east of the old light. The old station property and buildings were sold to Earl J. Coffey on August 24, 1925, and some time thereafter the steel skeletal tower was replaced by the currently operational cylindrical D9 tower with solar-powered 200 mm acrylic optic, which is basically a tube with a light on the top. It is functional, but spartan.
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[edit] Legacy
The 1867 lighthouse is now owned by the Martin and Reinhart Jahn families, who have gone to great lengths in restoring the historic structure, which was in severely deteriorated condition when they took ownership.[4] The site includes the old life saving station and a privy. A private boat is, of course, the best way to see this light close up. Short of that, Sheplers Ferry Service out of Mackinaw City offers periodic lighthouse cruises in the summer season. Its "Eastbound Tour" includes passes by Round Island Light, Bois Blanc Island and Light, Poe Reef light and Fourteen Foot Shoal Light. Schedules and rates are available from Shapler's.[5][6]
[edit] External links
- Detroit News, Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses.
- Lighthouses in the Mackinac Straits, Lighthouse Friends.
- Interactive map, pictures, descriptions of Northern Lake Huron lights.
- Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, Bois Blanc Light.
- National Park Service, Maritime Heritage Program, Inventory of Historic Lights, Old Bois Blanc Island light.
- U.S. Coast Guard's complete list of Michigan lights, with description of Old Bois Blanc Light.
- Volume 7, US Coast Guard Lightlist (PDF).
- Wobser, David Boatnerd.com, Bois Blanc Island Light.
[edit] References
- ^ United States Coast Guard History.
- ^ Wagner, John L.. Beacons Shining in the Night: The Lighthouses of Michigan -- Chronology. Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University.
- ^ Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Bois Blanc Island lights.
- ^ Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Bois Blanc Island lights.
- ^ Shaplers Ferry Service.
- ^ Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Fourteen Foot Shoal Light.
[edit] Further reading
- "A Tour of the Lights of the Straits." Michigan History 70 (Sep/Oct 1986), pp. 17-29.
- Bibliography on Michigan lighthouses.
- Brisson, Steven C. (Mackinac State Historic Parks chief curator). Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse: A History & Pictorial Souvenir (1/29/2008). [1]
- Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein, The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses (2002) ISBN 1592231020; ISBN 978-1592231027.
- Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan. The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995. ISBN 0814325548; ISBN 9780814325544.
- Jones, Ray & Bruce Roberts, American Lighthouses (Globe Pequot, September 1, 1998, 1st Ed.) ISBN 0762703245; ISBN 978-0762703241.
- Jones, Ray,The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference (Globe Pequot, January 1, 2004, 1st ed.) ISBN 0762727357; ISBN 978-0762727353.
- Noble, Dennis, Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy (Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997). ISBN 1557506388; ISBN 9781557506382.
- Oleszewski, Wes, Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
- Penrod, John, Lighthouses of Michigan, (Berrien Center, Michigan: Penrod/Hiawatha, 1998) ISBN 9780942618785; ISBN 9781893624238.
- Penrose, Laurie and Bill, A Traveler’s Guide to 116 Michigan Lighthouses (Petoskey, Michigan: Friede Publications, 1999). ISBN 0923756035; ISBN 9780923756031
- Pepper, Terry. Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes.
- Putnam, George R., Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
- Wagner, John L.. Beacons Shining in the Night: The Lighthouses of Michigan. Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University.
- Wagner, John L., Michigan Lighthouses: An Aerial Photographic Perspective, (East Lansing, Michigan: John L. Wagner, 1998) ISBN 1880311011; ISBN 9781880311011.
- Wargin, Ed, Legends of Light: A Michigan Lighthouse Portfolio (Ann Arbor Media Group, 2006). ISBN 9781587262517.
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1550463993.
- United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation, (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
- United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation Historical Bibliography
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