Rock of Ages Light
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| Rock of Ages Light | |
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.jpg/242px-Rock_of_Ages_Light_(Keweenaw_County,_Michigan).jpg) Rock of Ages Light |
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| Location: | Isle Royale, Michigan |
| Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS) |
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| Year first constructed: | 1908 |
| Year first lit: | 1910 |
| Automated: | 1978 |
| Foundation: | Concrete Pier Steel Caisson |
| Construction: | Steel, Masonry, Concrete |
| Tower shape: | Conical |
| Markings/Pattern: | White Black base and lantern |
| Height: | 117 ft (36 m) |
| Elevation: | 130 ft (40 m) |
| Original lens: | Second Order Fresnel |
| Current lens: | 1985 |
| Characteristic: | two flashes every 10 s |
The Rock of Ages Light is an active U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse on an outcropping approximately 5 mi (8.0 km) west of Isle Royale in Keweenaw County, Michigan.
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[edit] Wrecks of the Cumberland and the Chisholm
The Rock of Ages reef consists of outcroppings of rocks west of Isle Royale that presents hazard to navigation. Several wrecks occurred on the reef prior to the construction of the lighthouse.
The Cumberland was a 200 ft (61 m) side-wheeled steamer that was built in Canada in 1872 for $100,000. She operated between Georgian Bay and Duluth, Minnesota. In July 1877, she sailed from Port Arthur, Ontario for Duluth. In clear weather, she ran into the reef under steam. Effort to pull the ship from the rocks failed. On August 6, 1877, the ship was abandoned. Later that month, she broke in two and sunk in nearby waters.
On October 18, 1898, the Henry Chisolm, which was built in Cleveland, Ohio in 1880, ran on the rocks while steaming at 9 knots. Salvage vessels could not save the ship. She broke up in a storm at the end of October. She sank on top of the wreck of Cumberland.[1]
[edit] Rock of Ages Light
In 1908, construction began on the lighthouse. The construction crew established a base at Washington Harbor and used the lighthouse tender Amaranth to ferry men and materials to the site. A section of a rock was blasted to provide a flat area for the foundation. A steel cylindrical wall was erected and filled with concrete to give a pier that was 50 ft (15 m) in diameter and 25 ft (7.6 m) tall. The skeleton of the tower was built from steel. The inner and outer walls of the tower were constructed of brick. The concrete floors were supported on radial steel beams. The spiral stairs were cast iron. When the tower was enclosed, a bunkhouse, mess hall, and galley were built on a timber platform on the rock. The lighthouse was lit in 1908 with a temporary light.
In 1910, a second-order Fresnel lens was purchased and installed. The lens floated in a mercury bath to provide very low turning friction. A crew of lightkeepers was landed on the station each spring at the beginning of the shipping season, stayed the entire shipping season, and left in the fall.
The light was automated in 1978, which ended 68 years of service by light keepers. In 1985, the Fresnel lens was replaced when the light was powered by solar energy. The lens was moved to the Windigo Visitor Center of the Isle Royale National Park.[1][2]
[edit] Wreck of the George M. Cox
The George M. Cox was a 270 ft (82 m) steamer that was built in 1901 and christened the SS Puritan. This ship served briefly in the U.S. Navy to transport troops back home at the conclusion of World War I. In 1933, she was purchased by George Cox and renamed the George M. Cox. On a cruise of Lake Superior with a contingent of special guests, she struck the reef in the fog near the Rock Ages of Light on May 27, 1933. The 127 passengers and crew were rescued and spent the night in the crowded lighthouse and the surrounding rocks. Being unsalvageable, the ship remained on the rocks until the ship was broken up in an October storm. It sunk near the wrecks of the Cumberland and the Chisholm.[1]
[edit] National Register of Historic Places
| Rock of Ages Light Station | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Architect: | Keller; Beger,Walter F. |
| Designated as NHL: | August 04, 1983 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 83000881 |
| MPS: | U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TR |
| Governing body: | U.S. Coast Guard |
The Rock of Ages Light Station was named to the National Register of Historic Places on August 04, 1983, No. 83000881.[3] It was one of the Michigan lighthouses discussed in U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TR.[4]
The wrecks of the Cumberland, the Chisholm, and the George M. Cox were independently named to the National Register of Historic Places.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Rock of Ages Light Station. The Keeper's Log. U.S. Lighthouse Society. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
- ^ National Park Service
- ^ National Register of Historic Places
- ^ U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TR
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