List of lighthouses in Minnesota

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This is a list of all lighthouses in the U.S. state of Minnesota as identified by the United States Coast Guard. There are five active lights in the state; one light is inactive but has been converted to a museum, and one is in ruins.

The first lighthouse in the state was erected in 1858 [1] and the last in 1922 (ignoring automated towers erected later); the oldest active light is the Two Harbors Light. [2]

If not otherwise noted, focal height and coordinates are taken from the United States Coast Guard Light List , [3] while location and dates of activation, automation, and deactivation are taken from the United States Coast Guard Historical information site for lighthouses. [2]

NameImageLocationCoordinatesYear first litAutomatedYear deactivatedCurrent LensFocal Height
Duluth North Pier Light Duluth North Pier Light HAER.png Duluth 46°46′52″N92°05′17″W / 46.7810°N 92.0881°W / 46.7810; -92.0881 (Duluth North Pier Light) 1910UnknownActiveLED46 ft (14 m)
Duluth South Breakwater
Inner Light
Duluth South Breakwater Inner Range Light USCG.jpg Duluth 46°46′44″N92°05′30″W / 46.7788°N 92.0918°W / 46.7788; -92.0918 (Duluth South Breakwater Light) 1889 (Former)
1901 (Current)
1976ActiveLED68 ft (21 m)
Duluth South Breakwater
Outer Light
Duluth South Breakwater Light HAER.png Duluth 46°46′48″N92°05′15″W / 46.7801°N 92.0875°W / 46.7801; -92.0875 (Duluth South Breakwater Light) 1874 (Former)
1901 (Current)
1976ActiveLED44 ft (13 m)
Grand Marais Light Evening on the Gd Marias Light.jpg Grand Marais 47°44′43″N90°20′16″W / 47.7452°N 90.3379°W / 47.7452; -90.3379 (Grand Marais Light) 1885 (Former)
1922 (Current)
1937ActiveLED48 ft (15 m)
Minnesota Point Light Minnesota Point Light Postcard.jpg Duluth 46°42′36″N92°01′33″W / 46.7100°N 92.0259°W / 46.7100; -92.0259 (Minnesota Point Light) [4] 1858Never1913
(Now in ruins)
NoneUnknown
Split Rock Lighthouse Split Rock Lighthouse - Lake County, Minnesota - 8 Jan. 2009.jpg Beaver Bay Township 47°12′00″N91°22′02″W / 47.1999°N 91.3671°W / 47.1999; -91.3671 (Split Rock Light) [5] 1910Never1969
(Now a museum)
Third-order Fresnel 168 ft (51 m) [5]
Two Harbors Light Two Harbors Lighthouse.jpg Two Harbors 47°00′50″N91°39′49″W / 47.0140°N 91.6635°W / 47.0140; -91.6635 (Two Harbors Light) 18921980Active
(Also a museum)
DCB-224 78 ft (24 m)
Two Harbors Breakwater Light Two Harbors Breakwater Light.jpg Two Harbors 47°00′38″N91°40′10″W / 47.0106°N 91.6695°W / 47.0106; -91.6695 (Two Harbors Breakwater Light) 1906 [6] UnknownActive
(Inactive: 1947-1950 [6] )
LED33.5 ft (10.2 m) [6]

Related Research Articles

Two Harbors Light Lighthouse

The Two Harbors Light is the oldest operating lighthouse in the US state of Minnesota. Overlooking Lake Superior's Agate Bay, the lighthouse is located in Two Harbors, Minnesota. The construction of the lighthouse began in 1891 and was completed the following year, with the light being lit for the first time on April 14, 1892. The first Two Harbors keeper was Charles Lederle and there were normally three keepers assigned to make sure the light was lit every day. The Lighthouse was built to provide safe passage into the Agate Bay Harbor during the early 20th century, as Two Harbors was a major shipping point for the iron ore of the Mesabi Range.

Toledo Harbor Light Lighthouse in Ohio, US

The Toledo Harbor Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Lake Erie near Toledo, Ohio, in the United States. The light replaced the 1837 lighthouse on Turtle Island at the mouth of the Maumee River. It is an active aid to navigation.

Cedar Key Light Lighthouse in Florida, US

The Cedar Key Light is located on Seahorse Key across the harbor from Cedar Key, Florida. Seahorse Key was the site a watchtower erected in 1801 by followers of William Augustus Bowles, self-designated Director General of the State of Muskogee, an attempt to set up an independent state in the western part of East Florida. The watchtower was destroyed by a Spanish naval force in 1802. Seahorse Key was used as a detention center for Seminoles captured in the Second Seminole War (1835–1842) before transfer to the West. At that time the Federal government reserved several of the islands in the Cedar Keys archipelago for military use.

Wisconsin Point Light Lighthouse

The Wisconsin Point Light is a lighthouse located near Superior, on Wisconsin Point, in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States.

Long Beach Light Lighthouse in California, United States

Long Beach Light also known as the Long Beach Harbor Light, is a lighthouse on Long Beach Harbor in California.

Portsmouth Harbor Light Lighthouse

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located within Fort Constitution in New Castle, New Hampshire, United States.

Beaver Island Harbor Light Lighthouse in Michigan, United States

Beaver Island Harbor Light is a lighthouse located in St. James, Michigan, on the northern end of Beaver Island on Lake Michigan. It has also been called "St. James Harbor Light" and "Whiskey Point Light". It is associated with a U.S. Coast Guard station, which was formerly a lifesaving station. The tower is constructed of Cream City Brick.

Owls Head Light Lighthouse in Maine, US

The Owls Head Light is an active aid to navigation located at the entrance of Rockland Harbor on western Penobscot Bay in the town of Owls Head, Knox County, Maine. The lighthouse is owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation. It is the centerpiece of 13-acre (5.3 ha) Owls Head State Park and was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Owls Head Light Station in 1978.

Cape Vincent Breakwater Light Lighthouse

Cape Vincent Breakwater Light was a lighthouse on the breakwater protecting the harbor in the town of Cape Vincent, New York.

References

  1. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Minnesota". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  2. 1 2 "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Minnesota". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  3. Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2012.
  4. calculated using Google Maps and 1952 chart of Duluth–Superior Harbors
  5. 1 2 "Split Rock Lighthouse, Minnesota". LighthouseFriends.
  6. 1 2 3 "Two Harbors Breakwater, MN". Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved September 20, 2017.