| Passage Island Light Station | |||||||||||||||
| Location: | SW end of Passage Is., 3.25 mi NE of Isle Royale, in NW Lake Superior, Houghton Township, Michigan | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates: | 48.2242°N -88.3658°W | ||||||||||||||
| Yearbuilt: | 1882 | ||||||||||||||
| Yearlit: | 1882[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Automated: | 1978 | ||||||||||||||
| Construction: | fieldstone | ||||||||||||||
| Marking: | natural with white & red lantern[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Lens: | Fourth order Fresnel lens (original), 190mm (current) | ||||||||||||||
| Module: |
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The Passage Island Light Station is a lighthouse located 3.25miles NE of Isle Royale, in NW Lake Superior, Michigan on Passage Island. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
The light tower is high, constructed of field stone, and is square on the first level, transitioning to octagonal above.[3] It is topped with a ten-sided cast iron lantern, accessible via a spiral staircase within the tower.[3] The tower is integral with the keeper's house, which is a two-story field stone house measuring 26by.[3]
The need for a lighthouse between Passage Island and Isle Royale was recognized as early as the 1860s, as lake traffic increased dramatically due to the upsurge in mining in the Upper Peninsula.[3] However, it took until 1875 before Congress authorized funds for the construction of a lighthouse.[3] However, because of Congress's desire to bring political pressure to bear on the Canadian government to force them to build a lighthouse in Lake Erie, the appropriated $18,000 for Pasage Light was not released until 1880.[3] Construction began in 1881, and the light was completed the following year.[3] A fog signal was added in 1884, and in 1894 a new flashing white lens manufactured by Barbier, Benard & Turenne of Paris was installed.[3]
In 1978, the station was automated, and in 1989 a 190mm acrylic lens was installed, replacing the Fresnel.[3]