Split Rock Light
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It has been suggested that Split Rock Lighthouse State Park be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
| Split Rock Light | |
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 The tower of the Split Rock Lighthouse, Summer 2004 |
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| Location: | Silver Bay, Minnesota |
| Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS) |
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| Year first lit: | 1910 |
| Automated: | never |
| Deactivated: | 1969 |
| Foundation: | stone |
| Tower shape: | Hexagonal |
| Height: | 54-foot (16 m) tower on a 130-foot (40 m) cliff |
| Original lens: | 3rd order, bi-valve type Fresnel lens |
| Range: | 22 miles (35 km) |
| Characteristic: | 0.5-second flash every 9.5 seconds |
Split Rock Light is a lighthouse located just south of Silver Bay, Minnesota, USA on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The structure was designed by lighthouse engineer Ralph Russell Tinkham and was completed in 1910 by the United States Lighthouse Service at a cost of $75,000, including the buildings and the land. It is built on a 130-foot (40 m) sheer cliff of anorthosite. The lighthouse was first lit on July 31, 1910. It was built in response to the loss of ships during the famous Mataafa Storm of 1905, in which 29 ships were lost on Lake Superior.[1] Compare, Great Lakes Storm of 1913.
The tower of the lighthouse is hexagonal and constructed of brick, reinforced with a steel skeleton. It is topped with a steel lantern. The lighthouse features a large third order, bi-valve type Fresnel lens (pronounced [freɪ'nel]) manufactured by Barbier, Bernard and Turenne Company in Paris, France. The lens floats on a bearing surface of liquid mercury. Originally, the lens was rotated by an elaborate clockwork mechanism that was powered by counterweights running down the center of the tower. When completed, the lighthouse was lighted with an incandescent oil vapor lamp that burned kerosene. In 1940, the station was electrified and the lamp was replaced with a 1000 watt electric bulb.
Split Rock was also outfitted with a fog signal housed in a building next to the light tower. The original signal was a pair of steam sirens driven by two Franklin Template:Convert/HP gasoline-driven air compressors manufactured by Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company. In 1932 the gasoline engines were replaced with diesel engines. The steam sirens were replaced with a a Type F diaphone (be-you) type signal in 1936. When the station was electrified four years later, the fog signal began to be powered by electricity. The fog signal was discontinued in 1961.
The light was retired in 1969 by the U. S. Coast Guard. The lighthouse is now part of the Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and is operated by the Minnesota Historical Society. The site includes the original tower and lens, the fog signal building, the oil house, and the three keepers' houses. It is restored to appear as it did in the late 1920s. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
 The Lighthouse keeper's Dwellings of the Split Rock Lighthouse, Summer 2004 |
 The fog signal building at Split Rock Lighthouse, Summer 2004 |
 Aerial view of Split Rock Lighthouse |
 Split Rock Lighthouse and Lake Superior |
[edit] References
[edit] Additional reading
- Bibliography on Michigan and other lighthouses.
- 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.
- 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).
- Splake, T. Kilgore. Superior Land Lights. Battle Creek, MI: Angst Productions, 1984.
- United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation, (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
- United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation Historical Bibliography.
- Wagner, John L.. Beacons Shining in the Night: The Lighthouses of Michigan. Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University.
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1550463993.
[edit] External links
- Split Rock Lighthouse Photo Gallery
- Split Rock Lighthouse is due for restoration
- Split Rock Lighthouse Photo Tour
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