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Stannard Rock Light

Coordinates: 47°11′0.62″N 87°13′30.42″W / 47.1835056°N 87.2251167°W / 47.1835056; -87.2251167
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Stannard Rock Light
Stannard Rock Light
Map
LocationOff Keewenaw Peninsula in Lake Superior
Coordinates47°11′0.62″N 87°13′30.42″W / 47.1835056°N 87.2251167°W / 47.1835056; -87.2251167
Tower
Constructed1883 Edit this on Wikidata
FoundationCrib[1]
ConstructionDressed stone[1]
Automated1962[1]
HeightTower - 100 feet (30 m)[2]
ShapeFrustum of a cone tower on cylindrical crib[1]
MarkingsNatural with black lantern[2]
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signalAir diaphone (originally steam whistle)[1]
Light
First lit1882[1]
Focal height102 feet (31 m)[2]
LensOriginal - 3rd order Fresnel Lens
Intensity3,000 candlepower[3]
Range18 miles (29 km)
CharacteristicFlashing, white, 6 sec[4]

The Stannard Rock Light, completed in 1883, is a lighthouse located on a reef that was the most serious hazard to navigation on Lake Superior. The exposed crib of the Stannard Rock Light is rated as one of the top ten engineering feats in the United States. It is 24 miles (39 km) from the nearest land, making it the most distant (from shore) lighthouse in the United States. It was one of the "stag stations", manned only by men, and had the nickname "The Loneliest Place in the World".

The lighthouse was automated in 1962 and the United States Coast Guard still maintains it as an active aid to navigation. It is closed to the public and can only be viewed by boat or airplane. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Stannard Rock Reef

The Stannard Rock Reef is located off Keweenaw Peninsula about 24 miles (39 km) miles south of Manitou Island and 44 miles (71 km) north of Marquette, Michigan.[1][6] In 1835, Captain Charles C. Stannard of the vessel John Jacob Astor first discovered this underwater mountain that extends for 0.25 miles (0.40 km) with depths as shallow as 4 feet (1.2 m) and averaging 16 feet (4.9 m).[6][7] This reef was the most serious danger to navigation on Lake Superior and it was first marked by a day beacon in 1868. The opening of the Soo Locks and the rapid increase in commerce between Duluth, Minnesota, and the lower Great Lakes demanded construction of a lighthouse.[1][6] The lighthouse was named for Captain Stannard.[7] The Stannard Rock Light is 24 miles (39 km) from the nearest land making it the most distant from shore of any lighthouse in the United States.[8] Stannard Rock Reef provides a year-round structure for a superior lake trout fishery. Michigan's state record for lake trout was caught at Stannard Rock Reef by 16 year-old Lucas Lanczy on August 17, 1997.[9]

Construction

Construction of the Stannard Rock Light was modeled after the process used in building the tower and permanent protective crib of the Spectacle Reef Light on Lake Huron, completed in 1877. All of the machinery used to construct the Spectacle Reef Light was moved to the depot at Huron Bay on Lake Superior for construction of the crib for the Stannard Rock Light, which began in July 1877. The crib was taken out to Stannard Rock in August 1877, and soundings were made for fitting the crib to the reef. The crib was then returned to Huron Bay and built up to 14 courses; it was returned to Stannard Rock in August 1878 and placed in position on the reef. By October 1878 the crib was filled with concrete and stone from a quarry opened on Huron Island. By June 1879 an iron pier had been built up to the surface of the water. By mid-1880 the structure was 14 feet (4.3 m) above the water. The tower was completed and the first light was exhibited on July 4, 1882. Work on the tower continued until 1883. It took five years to complete the construction of the Stannard Rock Light at the cost of $305,000.[1] The exposed crib of the Stannard Rock Light is rated by the National Park Service as one of top ten engineering feats in the United States.[2]

Lighthouse service

In early winter Lake Superior's waves splashing against the stone tower of the Stannard Rock Light built a layer of ice that forced maintenance crews to hack away the ice around the door to reach the men. If an illness, accident, or fire occurred at the Stannard Rock Light it could be days or even weeks before the keepers got assistance. The Stannard Rock Light was nicknamed "The Loneliest Place in the World".[by whom?] As one of the rock lighthouses, it was designated as a "stag station" where only men could serve without their families.[10]

The lighthouse keepers were taken off the Stannard Rock at the close of shipping season in early December. The towers were locked until the keepers returned in March for the start of the shipping season. Landing at the Stannard Rock Light was difficult, but often the more serious problem at the start of the season was the need to take sledgehammers and pickaxes to clear away layers of thick ice (1 to 2 feet (0.30 to 0.61 m) deep) on the entry door, lantern, and foghorns.[10]

The Stannard Rock Light keepers operated the lantern and the living quarters with flammable illuminants for 60 years; the lighthouse was not electrified until after World War II. It was just a few years after this that an explosion of gasoline and propane tanks used to fuel the station plant destroyed the buildings on the pier and severely damaged the interior of the tower. The explosion killed one keeper and left three others stranded on the concrete pier at the base of the tower for three days before a passing ship discovered them and notified the Coast Guard. The men were rescued by the tender Woodrush.[10]

After the accident, the Coast Guard repaired the fire damage, decided that the place was too remote and dangerous, and automated the station in 1962.[10] The 1,400,000 candlepower light was replaced with a 3,000 candlepower light.[3] The Coast Guard carefully disassembled the 2nd order, 12 bulls-eyed Fresnel lens, hauled it down 141 tower stairs, packed it in six wooden crates, and then lowered the crates by block and tackle 80 feet (24 m) down to the crib for shipment. After a protracted search, the Fresnel lens was found 37 years later at the Coast Guard Academy's storage warehouse in New London, Connecticut. The lens is now on display at the Marquette Maritime Museum. See, Marquette Harbor Light.[11]

Double mission and current status

The Stannard Rock Light remains the property of the Coast Guard as an active aid to navigation. The lighthouse can only be viewed by airplane or boat and it is closed to the public.[1][6] After more than a century of warning mariners away from the treacherous reef, the lighthouse was given a new mission in 2008 when scientists placed equipment atop the tower to measure whether increased evaporation — possibly linked to global warming — was the cause of receding Great Lakes water levels.[12]

Boat trips out to the lighthouse are available, although visitors are not allowed to enter it.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "USCG Michigan Lighthouses". US Coast Guard. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Stannard Rock Light". National Park Service Maritime Heritage Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations, Michigan Lighthouses. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  3. ^ a b Hollan, Francis Ross (1988). America's Lighthouses: An illustrated History. Courier Dover Publications. p. 187. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "USCG Light List Volume VII" (PDF). US Coast Guard. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  5. ^ Lighthouse Digest, Upper Peninsula, Stannard Rock Light, University of North Carolina.
  6. ^ a b c d Wobser, Dave. "Stannard Rock Light". Lighthouses of the Great Lakes. Boat Nerd. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  7. ^ a b "Stannard Rock Light". Midwest Connection. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  8. ^ Putnam, George R. (1913). "Beacons of the Seas: Lighting the Coasts of the United States". National Geographic Magazine. XXIV (1): 19. Retrieved June 8, 2009. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  9. ^ Hirt, Jack (2009). "Reefing Gitchigumee's Greatest Lakers: Lake trout are superior at Stannard Rock". Great Lakes Anglers: 20–21. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  10. ^ a b c d De Wire, Elinor (1995). Guardians of the Lights: Stories of U.S. Lighthouse Keepers. Pineapple Press. pp. 10, 39, 100, 141, 316. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  11. ^ Nelson, Donald (February 2000). "Long Lost Light". Lighthouse Digest. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  12. ^ "Lake Watch: Monitoring set up at Stannard Rock". The Marquette Mining Journal. June 8, 2008. Retrieved June 9, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Stannard Rock Light.

Further reading

  • Bibliography on Michigan 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.
  • Penrod, John, Lighthouses of Michigan, (Berrien Center, Michigan: Penrod/Hiawatha, 1998) ISBN 9780942618785 ISBN 9781893624238.
  • 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.
  • U.S. Coast Guard, Historically Famous Lighthouses (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1957).
  • 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
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