Minneapolis Shoal Light Station

Minneapolis Shoal Light Station
Location Northern Green Bay, 6.6 miles (10.6 km) south of Peninsula Point, near Big Bay de Noc, Michigan
Coordinates 45°32′10″N 86°59′54″W / 45.53611°N 86.99833°W / 45.53611; -86.99833Coordinates: 45°32′10″N 86°59′54″W / 45.53611°N 86.99833°W / 45.53611; -86.99833
Year first constructed 1934[1]
Year first lit 1935[2]
Automated 1979[2]
Foundation Concrete pier on concrete crib[2]
Construction Steel, reinforced concrete[2]
Tower shape Octagonal[2]
Markings / pattern Cream colored[2]
Height 70 feet (21 m)[2]
Original lens Fourth order Fresnel lens[2]
ARLHS number USA-500[3]
USCG number
Minneapolis Shoal Light Station
Area 0.6 acres (0.24 ha)
MPS Light Stations of the United States MPS
NRHP Reference # 06001025[4]
Added to NRHP November 15, 2006

The Minneapolis Shoal Light Station is a light house located in northern Green Bay, 6.6 miles (10.6 km) south of Peninsula Point near Big Bay de Noc, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.[4]

History

Nineteenth century shipping traffic into Escanaba, Michigan went by way of Peninsula Point; to guide the traffic there, the Peninsula Point Light was established in 1856.[1] However, by the 1930s, shipping traffic had shifted far south of the point, and in response funds were appropriated for the Minneapolis Shoal Light Station in 1932.[1] Construction was completed in 1934,[1] and the light was first lit in 1935.[2] The station was later automated in 1979, and is still in use.[2]

Description

The Minneapolis Shoal Light Station is a cream colored octagonal tower, constructed of reinforced concrete, with an integral keeper's house.[2] It is a twin of Grays Reef Light Station, built at approximately the same time.[5] The design is a modification of one created by F. P. Dillon and W. G. Will, which was used in Conneaut, Ohio and Huron, Ohio.[5]

The Light Station sits on a square reinforced concrete pier, 30 feet (9.1 m) high and 64 feet (20 m) on a side.[6] Atop the pier is a two-story base, 15 feet (4.6 m) high and 30 feet (9.1 m) on a side.[6] The cellar and first floor of the base was built to house diesel generators, boilers, and compressors to provide power and heat to the light, fog signal, and keeper's quarters.[5] The second floor of the base housed the keeper's quarters. The lighthouse tower is placed in the center of the building roof. The tower is 17 feet (5.2 m) tall, and tapers from 16 feet (4.9 m) at the base to 10 feet (3.0 m) beneath the gallery.[5] The entire light is covered on the exterior with steel plates.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Point Peninsula Lighthouse". Seeing The Light. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Inventory of Historic Light Stations, Michigan Lighthouses: Minneapolis Shoals Light". National Park Service Maritime Heritage Program. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  3. "Minneapolis Shoal (Lake Michigan) Light ARLHS USA-500". Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Grays Reef Light". Seeing The Light. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 Charles K. Hyde; Ann Mahan; John Mahan (1986), The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes, Wayne State University Press, pp. 106–107, ISBN 0814325548
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