Pottawatomie Light Explained

Location:	Rock Island, Door County, Wisconsin
Coordinates:	45.4275°N -86.8281°W^[1]
Yearlit:	1836
Automated:	1966
Yeardeactivated:	1988
Foundation:	Stone
Construction:	Limestone
Shape:	Square, integral with keeper house
Marking:	natural with black lantern
Height:	^[2]
Focalheight:	^[3]
Lens:	Fresnel lens
Characteristic:	Fl W 4s 159 Light is obscured from 275° to 020° by dense foliage
Module:	Embed: yes Pottawatomie Lighthouse Nearest City: Washington Island, Wisconsin Added: April 20, 1979 Refnum: 79000074

Pottawatomie Lighthouse, also known as the Rock Island Light, is a lighthouse in Rock Island State Park, on Rock Island in Door County, Wisconsin. Lit in 1836, it is the oldest light station in Wisconsin and on Lake Michigan. It was served by civilian light keepers from 1836 to 1946, at which point it was automated.^[4]

History

The first lighthouse on the spot was a 1.5-story house and 30feet detached tower built in 1836. Due to poor construction, it was replaced by the existing lighthouse in 1858. The original tower and dwelling were demolished in subsequent years. The current building was first lit in 1858 and continued as an active aid to navigation until 1988, when it was replaced with a modern skeletal tower and automated system.^[5]

It is the oldest light station in Door County,^[6] which has the most lighthouses of any Wisconsin county.

The lighthouse was restored by the Friends of Rock Island Lighthouse.^[7] It is open for tours during the summer as the Pottawatomie Lighthouse Museum. The lighthouse has been restored to a state illustrating its appearance circa 1909–1913. The restoration was performed with the help from the non-profit Friends Of Rock Island State Park. It now serves as a museum that is open for tours daily from Memorial Day to Columbus Day 10am to 4pm.

The lighthouse was listed as Pottawatomie Lighthouse in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, as reference #79000074. The fresnel lens, lost after the lighthouse was shut down in the late 1980s, was replaced by a plexiglass copy in 1999.

The original (1836) privy still stands on the grounds and is the oldest structure in Door County.

Further reading

• Book: Havighurst, Walter . 1943 . The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes . .
• Book: Oleszewski, Wes . Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses . Gwinn, Michigan . Avery Color Studios . 1998 . 0-932212-98-0 .
• Web site: Pottawatomie Lantern Room Restored . https://web.archive.org/web/20110614085749/http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_digest.asp?action=get_article&sk=537&bhcd2=1254776929 . Olson . William H. . October 2009 . . June 14, 2011 .
• Web site: Pottawatomie (Rock Island) Lighthouse, Wisconsin . https://web.archive.org/web/20200622153259/http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/michigan/pottawatomie/pottawatomie.htm . June 22, 2020 . Pepper . Terry . Seeing the Light . Terry Pepper .
• Web site: Lighthouses on the Western Great Lakes . Pepper . Terry . Seeing the Light . Terry Pepper . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20220402173558/http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/index.htm . April 2, 2022 .
• Pottawatomie Light History, Friends of Rock Island State Park.
• Book: Sapulski, Wayne S. . 2001 . Lighthouses of Lake Michigan: Past and Present . Fowlerville, Michigan . Wilderness Adventure Books . 978-0-923568-47-4 .
• Web site: Sweet . Tim . Lighting the Outer Limits . https://web.archive.org/web/20100822043830/http://www.dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/html/stories/2000/feb00/lantern.htm . Wisconsin Natural Resources . February 2000 . August 22, 2010 .
• Book: Wright . Larry . Wright . Patricia . Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia . Erin, Ontario . Boston Mills Press . 2006 . 1-55046-399-3 .

External links

• • Friends of Rock Island State Park - official site
• Door County lighthouses at Door County Maritime Museum (Archived July 29, 2012)
• NPS Inventory of Historic Light Stations (Archived August 25, 2012)
• Lighthouse friends
• Lighthouse Docent Documentary produced by Wisconsin Public Television

Notes and References

1. Web site: Pottawatomie Lighthouse . Lighthouse Resources: Historic Lighthouses & Light Stations . United States Coast Guard . October 7, 2019 .
2. Web site: Database of Tower Heights . Pepper . Terry . Seeing the Light . Terry Pepper . October 7, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20000918211817/http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/lists/towers.htm . September 18, 2000 . dead .
3. Web site: Database of Focal Heights . Pepper . Terry . Seeing the Light . Terry Pepper . October 7, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080830100452/http://www.terrypepper.com/Lights/lists/focalheight.htm . August 30, 2008 . dead .
4. Book: Karges, Steven . Keepers of the Lights . Wm Caxton Ltd . 2000 . 0940473399 . Ellison Bay, WI . 11–49.
5. Book: Wardius . Ken . Wardius . Barb . 2000 . Wisconsin Lighthouses: A Photographic & Historical Guide . 60–61 . Big Earth Publishing . 1-879483-60-2 .
6. Web site: Door County Maritime Museum, Pottawatomie Lighthouse (Rock Island) history . October 7, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090901210610/http://www.dcmm.org/pottawatomie.html . September 1, 2009 . dead .
7. Web site: Pottawatomie (Rock Island) Light . https://web.archive.org/web/20190807235443/http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Michigan/Pottawatomie.htm . Wobser . David . . August 7, 2019 .