St. Martin Island Light is an exoskeleton lighthouse on St. Martin Island. It marks one of four passages between Lake Michigan and the bay of Green Bay.[8] Constructed in 1905, this light tower is the only example in the US of a pure exoskeletal tower on the Great Lakes. Similar designs exist in Canada.[9] Painted white, the hexagonal tower is made of iron plates which are supported by six exterior steel posts that have latticed buttresses.[5][10]
 St. Martin Island Light USCG Archive | |
 | |
| Location | St. Martin Island Lake Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°30′10″N 86°45′27″W / 45.50278°N 86.75750°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1905  |
| Foundation | Granite[4] |
| Construction | Steel exoskeleton[4] |
| Height | 75 ft (23 m)[1] |
| Markings | white with black lantern[4] |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place, Michigan state historic site |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1905 |
| Focal height | 81 feet (25 m)[2] |
| Lens | occulting 4th Order Fresnel illuminated by a 24,000 candlepower incandescent oil vapor lamp. Rotating red and white flash panels.[5] (original), 7.5-inch (190 mm) Tideland Signal acrylic lens[6] (current) |
| Range | 18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi)[3] |
| Characteristic | Al W R 10s: W fl 5s ec.; R fl 5s ec. Light visible from 135° to 355°, dark sector covering island.[3] |
St. Martin Island Light Station | |
| Nearest city | Fairport, Michigan |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| MPS | U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 84001387[7] |
| Added to NRHP | July 19, 1984 |
The cream city brick lightkeeper's house was modeled after that used for the Plum Island Range Lights.[5]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 19, 1984, Reference #84001387 as St. Martin Light Station (U.S. Coast Guard/ Great Lakes TR). It is not on the state list/inventory.[11] A steam fog signal was also installed.[12] which was thereafter replaced by a diaphone.[5]
The lighthouse keeper's dwelling has been abandoned and "is in poor condition."[10]
The light station is closed to the public. It is managed by in partnership with the Little Traverse Bay Band of the Odawa Indian Nation.[9][13]
References
edit- ^ Pepper, Terry. "Database of Tower Heights". Seeing the Light. terrypepper.com. Archived from the original on 2000-09-18. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ^ Pepper, Terry. "Database of Focal Heights". Seeing the Light. terrypepper.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-30. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ^ a b Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
- ^ a b c "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Michigan". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
- ^ a b c d "Pepper, Terry, Seeing the Light, St. Martin Island Lighthouse".[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, St. Martin Island Light". Archived from the original on 2012-02-23. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Wobser, David, St. Martin Island Light". Boatnerd. Archived from the original on 2009-07-27. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ^ a b Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- ^ a b "Lighthouse Depot, St. Martin Island Light". Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ^ "Maritime History Project, Michigan Lighthouses, Inventory of Historic Light Stations, St. Martin Island Light". National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ^ "Saint Martin Island Light Station". Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-11-12., Michigan Historic Sites Online,
- ^ "Little Traverse Bay Band of the Odawa Indian Nation". Archived from the original on 2011-12-25. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
External links
edit
Media related to St. Martin Island Light at Wikimedia Commons- St. Martin Island Light on the World List of Lights
- Detroit News, Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses, which fails to list St. Martin Island Light.
- Interactive map of Lights in Northern Lake Michigan, mapped by Google.
- Map of Michigan Lighthouse in PDF Format.
- Map of lighthouses in western Lake Michigan.[permanent dead link]
- Boudreau, Sophie (April 14, 2020). "A Drone Flew High Above An Uninhabited Island In Michigan And Caught The Most Incredible Footage" (Video). Only in your state.
