Raspberry Island Light Explained

Raspberry Island Light
Location:	Raspberry Island, Wisconsin
Coordinates:	46.9703°N -90.8049°W
Yearlit:	1862
Automated:	1947
Foundation:	Stone
Construction:	Wood
Shape:	Square, attached white bldg. w/red roof
Marking:	white w/black trim & lantern
Height:	43feet
Focalheight:	77feet^[1]
Lens:	Fifth order Fresnel lens
Characteristic:	Fl W 2.5s
Module:	Embed: yes Raspberry Island Light Partof: Apostle Islands Lighthouses Partof Refnum: 77000145 Nrhp Type: CP Designated Nrhp Type: March 8, 1977 Nocat: yes

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.^[2]

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. 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.^[3] The location is an active aid to navigation, with a characteristic white flash every 2.5 seconds.

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.^[4] During the Annual Apostle Island Lighthouse Celebration^[5] Ferry tour service is available for all the lighthouses. In the tourist season, park rangers are on the island to greet visitors.^[6]

See also

• Apostle Islands Lighthouses

Further reading

• Havighurst, Walter (1943) The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes, Macmillan Publishers.
• Oleszewski, Wes, Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) .
• Web site: Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes. Pepper, Terry.
• Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) .

External links

• Aerial photos of Raspberry Island Light, Marina.com
• Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey Survey number HABS WI-312
• Madeline Island Historical Museum
• Lighthouse friends, Raspberry Island Light article
• National Park Service Maritime History Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin - Raspberry Island Light Station
  • • Lighthouse Restored Video produced by Wisconsin Public Television

Notes and References

1. Web site: Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes. Pepper, Terry.
2. http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Superior/raspberryisland.htm Wobser, David, Raspberry Island Light
3. Web site: Seeing the Light: Raspberry Island Lighthouse. Pepper, Terry.
4. http://www.apostleisland.com Apostle Islands Cruise Service.
5. http://www.lighthousecelebration.com Apostle Island Lighthouse Celebration.
6. http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Superior/LaPointe.htm Wobser, David, La Pointe Light