Raspberry Island Light

Lighthouse

46°58′13.2″N 90°48′17.47″W / 46.970333°N 90.8048528°W / 46.970333; -90.8048528^[1]TowerFoundationStoneConstructionWoodAutomated1947Height43 feet (13 m)ShapeSquare, attached white bldg. w/red roofMarkingswhite w/black trim & lanternHeritageNational Register of Historic Places contributing property

LightFirst lit1862Focal height77 feet (23 m)^[2]LensFifth order Fresnel lensRange7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi)^[1]CharacteristicFl W 2.5s^[1]

U.S. Historic district
Contributing property

Area33.8 acres (13.7 ha)Built1857 (1857)Built byUnited States Lighthouse ServicePart ofApostle Islands Lighthouses (ID77000145^[3])Added to NRHPMarch 8, 1977

The Raspberry Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on the southern part of Raspberry Island, marking the west channel of the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, near the city of Bayfield. It was erected in 1862, marking the western channel.

History

It is said to be one of the few surviving wood framed lighthouses left on Lake Superior. The complex includes a square tower rising up from the attached Lighthouse keeper's quarters, a brick fog signal building, frame barn, brick oil house, boathouse, two outhouses, and a dock.^[4]

The light was automated in 1947 and was later transferred to the National Park Service as part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. It is a contributing property of the Apostle Islands Lighthouses and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.^[3] It is also listed in the Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey, WI-312. The original Fresnel lens is on display at the Madeline Island Historical Museum.

The old battery system in the fog signal building was replaced by a solar powered 300 mm Tideland Signal acrylic optic atop a pole, which continues to light the island to this day.^[5] The location is an active aid to navigation, with a characteristic white flash every 2.5 seconds.^[6]

USCG archive photo
1940s overview of the Raspberry Island Light Station
Raspberry Island Light Station from Lake Superior

Access

Most of the Apostle Islands light stations may be viewed (but not accessed) on the Apostle Islands Cruise Service water taxi or by private boat during the summer.^[7] During the Annual Apostle Island Lighthouse Celebration^[8] Ferry tour service is available for all the lighthouses. In the tourist season, park rangers are on the island to greet visitors.^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
^ Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes".
^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
^ Wobser, David, Raspberry Island Light Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine, Boatnerd
^ Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Raspberry Island Lighthouse".
^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Northern Wisconsin". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
^ Apostle Islands Cruise Service.
^ Apostle Island Lighthouse Celebration.
^ Wobser, David, La Pointe Light Archived 2009-01-07 at the Wayback Machine, Boatnerd Originally in Great Laker Magazine.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Raspberry Island Light Station.

Aerial photos of Raspberry Island Light, Marina.com
Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey Survey number HABS WI-312
Madeline Island Historical Museum Archived 2004-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
Lighthouse friends, Raspberry Island Light article
National Park Service Maritime History Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin - Raspberry Island Light Station
Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
"Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Wisconsin". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
Lighthouse Restored Video produced by Wisconsin Public Television

Apostle Islands

Islands

Madeline Island
Stockton Island
Gull Island
Eagle Island
Outer Island
Oak Island
Sand Island
Basswood Island
Bear Island
Michigan Island
Hermit Island
Cat Island
Otter Island
Manitou Island
Rocky Island
Long Island
Ironwood Island
York Island
Raspberry Island
Devils Island
South Twin Island
North Twin Island

Lighthouses

Shipwrecks

Antelope
Big Bay sloop
City of Ashland
D.R. Owen
Lucerne
Manistee
Marquette
Moonlight
Noquebay
Ottawa
Pretoria
R.G. Stewart
Sevona
Ira H. Owen
T.H. Camp

Related historic sites

Protected designations

v t e Lighthouses of Wisconsin
Main: List of lighthouses in the United States
Lake Superior	Ashland Harbor Breakwater Chequamegon Point Devils Island Gull Island La Pointe Michigan Island Outer Island Raspberry Island Sand Island Wisconsin Point
Lake Michigan	Algoma Baileys Harbor Baileys Harbor Range Cana Island Chambers Island Dunlap Reef Range Eagle Bluff Grassy Island Range Green Bay Harbor Entrance Green island Kenosha Kenosha North Pier Kevich Kewaunee Pierhead Long Tail Manitowoc Breakwater Milwaukee Breakwater Milwaukee Pierhead North Point Peshtigo Reef Pilot Island Plum Island Range Port Washington Port Washington Breakwater Pottawatomie Racine Harbor Racine North Breakwater Racine Reef Rawley Point Sheboygan Sherwood Point Sturgeon Bay Canal Sturgeon Bay Canal North Pierhead Two Rivers Wind Point
Lake Winnebago	Asylum Calumet Fond du Lac Neenah Rockwell
Historical (lost) lights	Dunlap Reef Range Front Manitowoc Main Manitowoc North Pierhead Plum Island Range Front Racine North Pierhead
Apostle Islands Lighthouses

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