Round Island Passage Light
Encyclopedia
Round Island Passage Light is an automated, unmanned 1948 lighthouse
located in the Round Island Channel
in the Straits of Mackinac
, Michigan. The channel is a branch of Lake Huron
.
.
Round Island Passage Light, built by the United States Coast Guard
of concrete and steel in the period immediately following World War II, was one of the last lights to be constructed on the Great Lakes. The light was built at the same time that Round Island Light
, an 1898 historically manned lighthouse at the other end of the channel, was deactivated. As of 2009, however, Round Island Light has been relighted as a private aid to navigation, and both lights currently mark the channel.
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....
located in the Round Island Channel
Round Island Channel
The Round Island Channel is a navigable Lake Huron waterway located between Mackinac Island and Round Island in the Straits of Mackinac. It forms a key link in the lake freighter route between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, on which millions of tons of taconite iron ore are shipped annually...
in the Straits of Mackinac
Straits of Mackinac
The Straits of Mackinac is the strip of water that connects two of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and separates the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a shipping lane providing passage for raw materials and finished goods, connecting, for...
, Michigan. The channel is a branch of Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
.
History
Round Island Passage Light, built by the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
of concrete and steel in the period immediately following World War II, was one of the last lights to be constructed on the Great Lakes. The light was built at the same time that Round Island Light
Round Island Light (Michigan)
The Round Island Light, also known as the "Old Round Island Point Lighthouse" is a lighthouse located on the west shore of Round Island in the shipping lanes of the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron...
, an 1898 historically manned lighthouse at the other end of the channel, was deactivated. As of 2009, however, Round Island Light has been relighted as a private aid to navigation, and both lights currently mark the channel.
Specialized further reading
- "A Tour of the Lights of the Straits." Michigan History 70 (Sep/Oct 1986), pp. 17–29.
- Brisson, Steven C. (Mackinac State Historic Parks chief curator). Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse: A History & Pictorial Souvenir (1/29/2008).
- "Round Island Passage Light Station." Proceedings of the Merchant Marine Council 5 (Sep 1948), p. 145.
- "Round Island Passage Light Station Established." Coast Guard Engineers Digest No. 51 (Jul-Aug, 1948), pp. 28–29; No. 52 (Sep-Oct 1948), pp. 10–12.