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Sand Island Light (Wisconsin)

Coordinates: 47°00′11.91″N 90°56′14.72″W / 47.0033083°N 90.9374222°W / 47.0033083; -90.9374222
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For the lighthouse at the entrance to Mobile Bay, see Sand Island Light (Alabama).
Sand Island Light
Map
LocationSand Island, Wisconsin
Coordinates47°00′11.91″N 90°56′14.72″W / 47.0033083°N 90.9374222°W / 47.0033083; -90.9374222[1]
Tower
FoundationStone
ConstructionSandstone
Automated1921
Height42 feet (13 m)
ShapeOctagonal
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places contributing property Edit this on Wikidata
Light
First lit1881
Focal height56 feet (17 m)[2]
LensFourth order Fresnel lens (original), SeaLite LED Marine Lantern [3] (current)
Range9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi)[1]
CharacteristicWhite, flashing, 6 s[1]

The Sand Island Light is a lighthouse located on the northern tip of Sand Island, one of the Apostle Islands, in Lake Superior in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, near the city of Bayfield.

Currently owned by the National Park Service and part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, part of reference number 77000145. Listed in the Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey, WI-313.

The Sand Island lighthouse consists of an octagonal tower and attached two-story dwelling, all built from brown sandstone cut from the promontory on which it stands. Visitors to the lighthouse today can still see marks on the rock ledges in front of the lighthouse that were made in the process of quarrying. The lighthouse was built to a standard Gothic Revival design already used at several light stations in Wisconsin and Michigan. The lighthouses previously built at McGulpin Point, Eagle Harbor, and White River, along with the St. Clair Flats Canal beacon (no longer standing), follow the same plan, while the Chambers Island lighthouse is a “mirror twin” to the Sand Island structure, with the same design reversed right to left. Unlike these others, which were made out of brick, the Sand Island lighthouse is constructed of brown sandstone, quarried from the ledge where it sits.[4] Subsequently, additional stone excavated at Sand Island was transported to Passage Island near Isle Royale where it was used to construct an additional mirror twin lighthouse.[5]

Evidence of quarrying on the ledge in front of the Sand Island Lighthouse, seen from the tower.

History

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In 1871, the Lighthouse Board asked Congress for funds to construct a lighthouse on Sand Island to guide ships toward the Raspberry Island Light and mark the western edge of the Apostle Islands, noting,

Incoming from Duluth the Raspberry Island light is not visible until abreast of Sand Island, and there being no coast light in this distance of 80 miles, causes much distress and danger to the increasing commerce of the west end of Lake Superior. An appropriation of $18,000 for the building of this station is recommended. [6]

However, Congress rejected this and several subsequent requests until finally appropriating funds for the lighthouse in 1880. Construction began on June 6, 1881, when a crew under the direction of Superintendent Lewis Lederle began clearing the heavily wooded area, excavating a site for the foundation and basement, and cutting stone from the shoreline ledges for use as building material. The structure, comprising a 26-by-30-foot (7.9 by 9.1 m) two-story dwelling, a 44-foot-tall (13 m) tower, and a small lean-to summer kitchen at the rear, would be finished by the end of that summer. As the lighthouse neared completion, a fixed white Fourth Order Fresnel lens was placed in the lantern room, and the light was displayed for the first time on September 25, 1881. [7] Charles Lederle, nephew of the construction superintendent, was appointed acting Keeper, and was confirmed as permanent Keeper the following year. [8]

Lederle’s tenure at the lighthouse was distinguished by his heroic rescue of the crew of the Canadian steamer Prussia, which caught fire about ten miles off Sand Island on Sept. 12, 1885. Rowing the light station boat into heavy seas, Lederle was able to reach one of the ship’s lifeboats which was being blown toward the open lake by the gale. Transferring all seven men aboard to his own boat, Lederle brought them safely back to land. The Prussia’s captain and officers later sent Lederle a letter of thanks stating that had he not come to their aid, “ ...the yawl boat and crew… would most likely have been lost as there was a heavy sea running against the southeast and they were unable to pull up against it [9])

Another noteworthy event took place on July 15, 1884, when Lederle’s wife Marguerite gave birth at the lighthouse. According to the local newspaper, “Lightkeeper Lederle of Sand Island rejoices over the arrival of an assistant lightkeeper who arrived Tuesday evening."[10]

When Lederle’s children reached school age, he arranged for a transfer to the position of Keeper at the Two Harbors light in Minnesota.[11] The first assistant on nearby Outer Island, Emmanuel Luick, was offered the position of keeper at the Sand Island Light, and moved in with his wife Ella during January 1892. In 1901, Luick fell ill, leaving all duties at the lighthouse for Ella. Although she managed to do everything, the incident pointed out the dangers of having a single keeper on Sand Island. The Lighthouse Board authorized the addition of an assistant keeper and on May 22, 1902, Henry Irvine moved onto the island. In October 1903, Irvine was transferred to Devils Island. Luick appointed his wife as his acting assistant keeper, but the following day Edward Derry arrived on the island as the new assistant keeper. On April 30, 1904, Derry resigned, leaving Ella as acting assistant keeper once again. Ten days later, Frederick Hudson arrived on the island to take over as assistant keeper. On May 9, 1905, Ella boarded a steamer for nearby Bayfield and never returned to the island or her husband again.[12]

Luick married again, this time to a woman named Oramill, and with her served the Sand Island Light for the next sixteen years. Over the course of that time, Luick went through twelve assistants, with the longest tenure being only two years. By the end of the 1910s, local shipping patterns had changing, and the Sand Island Light became less important. In 1921, the Lighthouse Service automated the tower, and Luick was reassigned to the Grand Marais Light in Minnesota.[13]

In 1933, the automated light was dismantled, and the Lighthouse Service constructed a 50-foot (15 m) steel tower in front of the lighthouse. The automated light was placed on top until 1985, when the light was placed back in the lighthouse and the tower was removed.[14]

Getting there

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National Park Service volunteers provide guided tours of the lighthouse during the summer season, usually between the hours of 12:00 and 4:00 pm. There is no scheduled boat service to Sand Island, but located two miles from the mainland, the island is a popular destination for boaters and kayakers who are prepared for the challenges of Lake Superior. The nearest dock on the island is at the East Bay campground, about two miles away by trail.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2014.
  2. ^ Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes".
  3. ^ Draft Historic Structure Report/Cultural Landscape Report, Sand Island Light Station US National Park Service, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, 2011.
  4. ^ Sand Island Light Station Cultural Landscape Report - Historic Structure Report, prepared for the National Park Service by Andrews & Anderson Architects PC, Golden, Colorado, 2011; “St. Clair Flats Canal Upper Lighthouse” https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=847.
  5. ^ Bayfield Press, Sept. 3, 1881; Bayfield Press, Sept. 10, 1881.
  6. ^ https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=689
  7. ^ http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/superior/sand/index.htm
  8. ^ Tag, Phyllis. "Keepers of the Sand Island Lighthouse".
  9. ^ Keller, James M., The Unholy Apostles, (Sheridan Books, Chelsea MI, 1984).
  10. ^ Bayfield County Press, July 19, 1884
  11. ^ “Luick Leaves U.S. Service After 47 Active Years In It,” The Grand Marais News-Herald, Thursday January 7, 1937.
  12. ^ Mackreth, Bob. ""Lighthouses of the Apostle Islands," Lake Superior, August-September, 2002".
  13. ^ "Sand Island Light".
  14. ^ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography, Wisconsin".
  15. ^ https://www.nps.gov/apis/learn/historyculture/sand-light.htm | "Sand Island Lighthouse," Apostle Islands National Lakeshore web site, accessed Nov. 12, 2024.

Further reading

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USCG archive photo
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