Gravelly Shoal Light
Encyclopedia
Gravelly Shoals Light is an automated lighthouse
that is an active aid to navigation
on the shallow shoals extending southeast from Point Lookout on the western side of Saginaw Bay
. The light is situated about 2.7 miles (4.3 km) offshore and was built to help guide boats through the deeper water between the southeast end of Gravelly Shoals and Charity Island. Architecturally this is considered to be Art Deco
style.
Roosevelt's New Deal
and its program to "Put America Back to Work" the new light tower was put up for bid, and built in 1939. It replaced an earlier gas-lit buoy. It also displaced the Charity Island Light, which was constructed in 1857, and operated until 1930.
Contemporary unmanned lights in the Art Deco style is the Indiana Harbor East Breakwater Light
and its twin, the better known Port Washington Breakwater Light
in Wisconsin.
When built according to its original specifications, the contractor warned that the foundation was inadequate to withstand the build up of ice, and put in a bid for a contract modification. However, at the time jurisdiction over the light had just been transferred to the Coast Guard from the United States Lighthouse Service
, and they chose to disregard the warning, and to accept the light as built. This resulted in substantial additional expense in due course, as the light had to be retrofitted.
This light is designed as an autonomous automated electrified station. It is under the control and maintenance of Coast Guard Station in Tawas City, Michigan
. Ordinarily it displays a 15,000 candela 375 mm light powered by a 120 volt electric lamp. Power is supplied through a submarine cable, which crosses the shoal from Point Lookout. The 75 feet (22.9 m) focal plane makes its flash (1-second every 5 seconds) visible for 16 miles (25.7 km). It is supplemented by a standby 110 candela acetylene light with a half second flash every three seconds—which activates automatically if there is a power failure. In foggy weather, mariners are warned by twin compressed-air two-tone #3 diaphone
s, which operate on a 30-second cycle (3-second blast followed by 27 seconds of silence).
The National Data Buoy Center lists the Site Elevation as 179.2 meters above sea level; an automatic readout for wind, waves and weather is operated there.
The National Weather Service
operates an automated weather observing station at the lighthouse.
An added large steel tower atop the light is a radio beacon. The 1953 Coast Guard Light List indicates that the signal transmitted at 296 kilocycles, send forth a group of half-second dashes for 15.5 seconds, followed by 14½ seconds of silence. As of 2001, both the light and radio beacon served as active navigational aids.
Although it never had a resident lighthouse keeper
, this light is a recognized 'significant light" by the National Park Service
National Maritime Initiative.
to Charity Island, which is ten miles (16 km) to the east in the middle of Saginaw Bay
. Tours of Charity Island (and even dinner cruises) are available, which can include the privately-owned, rebuilt Charity Island Light lightkeeper's house. They are available from Charity Island Transport, Inc. in Au Gres, Michigan
on the mainland, south of Tawas
.
It is also possible to take a telephoto shot from shore.
US 23 north from Au Gres, 4.8 miles (7.7 km) to Point Lookout Road. Turn right to its end; turn left onto Michigan Ave. Through a break in the houses one can see Saginaw Bay and the light.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
that is an active aid to navigation
Navigational aid
A navigational aid is any sort of marker which aids the traveler in navigation; the term is most commonly used to refer to nautical or aviation travel...
on the shallow shoals extending southeast from Point Lookout on the western side of Saginaw Bay
Saginaw Bay
Saginaw Bay is a bay within Lake Huron located on the eastern side of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms the space between Michigan's Thumb region and the rest of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Saginaw Bay is in area...
. The light is situated about 2.7 miles (4.3 km) offshore and was built to help guide boats through the deeper water between the southeast end of Gravelly Shoals and Charity Island. Architecturally this is considered to be Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style.
History
As part of PresidentPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Roosevelt's New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
and its program to "Put America Back to Work" the new light tower was put up for bid, and built in 1939. It replaced an earlier gas-lit buoy. It also displaced the Charity Island Light, which was constructed in 1857, and operated until 1930.
Contemporary unmanned lights in the Art Deco style is the Indiana Harbor East Breakwater Light
Indiana Harbor East Breakwater Light
The Indiana Harbor East Breakwater Light is an active aid to navigation that marks the end of a breakwater on the east side of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal where it enters Lake Michigan.-History:...
and its twin, the better known Port Washington Breakwater Light
Port Washington Breakwater Light
The Port Washington Breakwater Light is a modern lighthouse at the entrance to the Port Washington, Wisconsin harbor on Lake Michigan. The second tower at this location, it remains an active aid to navigation.-History:...
in Wisconsin.
When built according to its original specifications, the contractor warned that the foundation was inadequate to withstand the build up of ice, and put in a bid for a contract modification. However, at the time jurisdiction over the light had just been transferred to the Coast Guard from the United States Lighthouse Service
United States Lighthouse Service
The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the US Federal Government that was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses in the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 until 1939...
, and they chose to disregard the warning, and to accept the light as built. This resulted in substantial additional expense in due course, as the light had to be retrofitted.
This light is designed as an autonomous automated electrified station. It is under the control and maintenance of Coast Guard Station in Tawas City, Michigan
Tawas City, Michigan
Tawas City is a city along Lake Huron in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,005. It is the county seat of Iosco County...
. Ordinarily it displays a 15,000 candela 375 mm light powered by a 120 volt electric lamp. Power is supplied through a submarine cable, which crosses the shoal from Point Lookout. The 75 feet (22.9 m) focal plane makes its flash (1-second every 5 seconds) visible for 16 miles (25.7 km). It is supplemented by a standby 110 candela acetylene light with a half second flash every three seconds—which activates automatically if there is a power failure. In foggy weather, mariners are warned by twin compressed-air two-tone #3 diaphone
Diaphone
For Diaphone, the Noctuid moth species see Diaphone The diaphone was a noisemaking device best known for its use as a foghorn: it could produce deep, powerful tones able to carry a long distance...
s, which operate on a 30-second cycle (3-second blast followed by 27 seconds of silence).
The National Data Buoy Center lists the Site Elevation as 179.2 meters above sea level; an automatic readout for wind, waves and weather is operated there.
The National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
operates an automated weather observing station at the lighthouse.
An added large steel tower atop the light is a radio beacon. The 1953 Coast Guard Light List indicates that the signal transmitted at 296 kilocycles, send forth a group of half-second dashes for 15.5 seconds, followed by 14½ seconds of silence. As of 2001, both the light and radio beacon served as active navigational aids.
Although it never had a resident lighthouse keeper
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
, this light is a recognized 'significant light" by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
National Maritime Initiative.
Getting there
A good passing view of the light can be had while riding the ferry from Au GresAu Gres, Michigan
Au Gres is a city in Arenac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,028 at the 2000 census. It was first settled in 1862.-Geography:...
to Charity Island, which is ten miles (16 km) to the east in the middle of Saginaw Bay
Saginaw Bay
Saginaw Bay is a bay within Lake Huron located on the eastern side of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms the space between Michigan's Thumb region and the rest of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Saginaw Bay is in area...
. Tours of Charity Island (and even dinner cruises) are available, which can include the privately-owned, rebuilt Charity Island Light lightkeeper's house. They are available from Charity Island Transport, Inc. in Au Gres, Michigan
Au Gres, Michigan
Au Gres is a city in Arenac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,028 at the 2000 census. It was first settled in 1862.-Geography:...
on the mainland, south of Tawas
Tawas City, Michigan
Tawas City is a city along Lake Huron in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,005. It is the county seat of Iosco County...
.
It is also possible to take a telephoto shot from shore.
US 23 north from Au Gres, 4.8 miles (7.7 km) to Point Lookout Road. Turn right to its end; turn left onto Michigan Ave. Through a break in the houses one can see Saginaw Bay and the light.Further reading
- Detroit News Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses.
- Great Lakes Light Keepers Association.
- Great Lakes Lighthouse Resources, Great Lakes Light Keepers Association.
- Harrison, Tim (editor of Lighthouse DigestLighthouse DigestLighthouse Digest is a specialty magazine for lighthouse and maritime history enthusiasts published in East Machias, Maine. Launched in May, 1992, by FogHorn Publishing, it is dedicated to preserving lighthouse history, current and yesteryear, for future generations.-Scope:Coverage includes...
and President of the American Lighthouse Foundation), (September, 2009) Ghost Lights of Michigan (Rare historic images and text on Michigan's lost and obscure lighthouse, including bonus chapters on lightships and lighthouse tenders.) East Machias, Maine: Foghorn Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9778293-3-0.
- Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan. The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes. Detroit: Wayne State University PressWayne State University PressWayne State University Press , founded in 1941, is a university press that is part of Wayne State University. It publishes under its own name and also the imprints Painted Turtle and Great Lakes Books....
, 1995. ISBN 0814325548 ISBN 9780814325544. - Map of Michigan Lighthouse in PDF Format.
- Michigan Light List. Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy.
- Map of Michigan Lighthouses. Michigan Lighthouse Fund.
- Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy.
- 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 Penrose, Bill Traveler's Guide to 116 Michigan Lighthouses, Petoskey, Michigan: Friede Publications, 1999. ISBN 0923756035 ISBN 9780923756031.
- Pepper, Terry, President Great Lakes Lightkeepers Association, Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes
- Roach, Jerry. Lighthouse Central, Michigan Lighthouses.
- The Ultimate Guide to East Michigan Lighthouses. Bugs Publishing, 2006. ISBN 0974797715; ISBN 9780974797717.
- The Ultimate Guide to Upper Michigan Lighthouses. Bugs Publishing, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9747977-2-4.
- The Ultimate Guide to West Michigan Lighthouses. Bugs Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0-9747977-0-7.
- Sapulski, Wayne S., (2001) Lighthouses of Lake Michigan: Past and Present (Paperback) (Fowlerville: Wilderness Adventure Books) ISBN 0923568476; ISBN 978-0923568474.
- Splake, T. Kilgore. Superior Land Lights. Battle Creek, MI: Angst Productions, 1984.
- Wagner, John L. "Beacons Shining in the Night: The Lighthouses of Michigan". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan UniversityCentral Michigan UniversityCentral Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
.
- 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.
- Wobser, David, Lighthouses of the Great Lakes, boatnerd.com.
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Boston Mills Press, 2006. ISBN 1550463993.
External links
- Interactive map of lighthouses in area by LighthousesRus.
- Map of Michigan Lighthouses from Michigan.gov.
- Michigan lighthouse conservancy, Gravelly Shoal Light.
- National Buoy Data Center with automatic readout of wind, waves and weather for Gravelly Shoal Light.
- Photograph of Coast Guard boat at Gravelly Shoal, circa 1942, Archives of Michigan.
- Photos of Gravelly Shoal Light (current) from ferry.