Wisconsin Point Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
The Wisconsin Point Light is a lighthouse
located near Superior
, on Wisconsin Point
, in Douglas County, Wisconsin
.
The light and attached fog horn building sits within a 10 miles (16.1 km) long sand bar – stretching between the ports of Duluth and Superior. This sand bar makes the Duluth-Superior Harbor, one of the safest harbors in the world. It is "[r]eputedly the longest freshwater sand bar in the world" and is split by this opening near its center, where the lighthouse is located. The Minnesota side of the opening is known as "Minnesota Point" and the Wisconsin side is known as "Wisconsin Point."
was manufactured by Sautter, Lemonnier, and Company of Paris in 1890. It was replaced with a DCB-224
aero beacon manufactured by the Carlisle & Finch
Company.
It is an active navigational aid and is known as the South Breakwater Light by the United States Coast Guard
in the Volume VII light list and the United States Geological Survey
Geographic Names Information System
.
It is located on the southern Superior Harbor entry breakwall. The St. Louis River which starts in Minnesota, flows into Superior Bay
and exits into Lake Superior via the ship canals, at each end of (Park Point) Minnesota Point
.
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 near Superior
Superior, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...
, on Wisconsin Point
Wisconsin Point
Wisconsin Point is a peninsula off the shore of Superior, Wisconsin, in Douglas County, Wisconsin. It is 3 miles in length. The Wisconsin Point Lighthouse was built in 1913 and is located on the end of the peninsula. It is owned and maintained by the city of Superior...
, in Douglas County, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
.
The light and attached fog horn building sits within a 10 miles (16.1 km) long sand bar – stretching between the ports of Duluth and Superior. This sand bar makes the Duluth-Superior Harbor, one of the safest harbors in the world. It is "[r]eputedly the longest freshwater sand bar in the world" and is split by this opening near its center, where the lighthouse is located. The Minnesota side of the opening is known as "Minnesota Point" and the Wisconsin side is known as "Wisconsin Point."
History
The original Fresnel lensFresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
was manufactured by Sautter, Lemonnier, and Company of Paris in 1890. It was replaced with a DCB-224
DCB-224
The model DCB-224 is a high-power spotlight designed and built by Carlisle & Finch. Originally intended for use use as an aero beacon, it was also widely used in marine lighthouses....
aero beacon manufactured by the Carlisle & Finch
Carlisle & Finch
Carlisle & Finch is a producer of nautical equipment and searchlights, and the inventor of the electric toy train. It is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.-History :...
Company.
It is an active navigational aid and is known as the South Breakwater Light 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...
in the Volume VII light list and the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
Geographic Names Information System
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...
.
It is located on the southern Superior Harbor entry breakwall. The St. Louis River which starts in Minnesota, flows into Superior Bay
Superior Bay
Superior Bay is a narrow inlet of Lake Superior along the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is 7 miles long and 0.5 miles wide. A small strait connects it to St. Louis Bay and Spirit Lake to the west, into which the St Louis River empties....
and exits into Lake Superior via the ship canals, at each end of (Park Point) Minnesota Point
Minnesota Point
Minnesota Point, also known as the Park Point neighborhood of Duluth, Minnesota, United States; is a long, narrow sand spit that extends out from the Canal Park tourist recreation-oriented district of the city of Duluth...
.
Specialized Additional reading
- Havighurst, Walter (1943) The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes, Macmillan PublishersMacmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
. - 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.
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3.