Ontonagon Harbor Piers Historic District

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Ontonagon Harbor Piers Historic District
Ontonagon Harbor.jpg
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Location Ontonagon R. at Lake Superior, Ontonagon, Michigan
Coordinates 46°52′36″N89°18′39″W / 46.87667°N 89.31083°W / 46.87667; -89.31083 Coordinates: 46°52′36″N89°18′39″W / 46.87667°N 89.31083°W / 46.87667; -89.31083
Area 16 acres (6.5 ha)
Built 1868 [1]
Architect US Army Corps of Engineers
NRHP reference # 01001313 [2]
Added to NRHP December 4, 2001

The Ontonagon Harbor Piers Historic District is historic shipping structure located on the Ontonagon River at Lake Superior in Ontonagon, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. [2]

Ontonagon River river in Michigan

The Ontonagon River is a river flowing to Lake Superior on the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States. The main stem of the river is 25 miles (40 km) long and is formed by a confluence of several longer branches, portions of which have been collectively designated as a National Wild and Scenic River. Several waterfalls occur on the river including Agate Falls and Bond Falls.

Lake Superior largest of the Great Lakes of North America

Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes of North America, is also the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area, and the third largest freshwater lake by volume. The lake is shared by the Canadian province of Ontario to the north, the U.S. state of Minnesota to the west, and Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the south. The farthest north and west of the Great Lakes chain, Superior has the highest elevation of all five great lakes and drains into the St. Mary's River.

Ontonagon, Michigan Village in Michigan, United States

Ontonagon is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,494 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontonagon County.

Contents

Diagram of piers Ontonagon pier diagram.jpg
Diagram of piers

History

In 1860, the Army Corps of Engineers began designing pier structures in Ontonagon at the mouth of the river. [3] The initial construction of the Ontonagon piers was carried out during 1868-1872 [1] The inner 1069 feet of the west pier, constructed of wood pilings filled with stone, dates from this time. [1] Over the next 20 years, another 1770 feet of the east pier and 1398 feet of the west pier was constructed, [1] and a pierhead light was installed on the west pier. [3] In addition, the inner 545 ft of the east pier was reconstructed; all of these pier structures were of rock-filler timber cribs. [1]

United States Army Corps of Engineers federal agency under the Department of Defense and a major Army command

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is a U.S. federal agency under the Department of Defense and a major Army command made up of some 37,000 civilian and military personnel, making it one of the world's largest public engineering, design, and construction management agencies. Although generally associated with dams, canals and flood protection in the United States, USACE is involved in a wide range of public works throughout the world. The Corps of Engineers provides outdoor recreation opportunities to the public, and provides 24% of U.S. hydropower capacity.

In the 1920 and 1930s, a stone superstructure was built over sections of both piers, and a concrete cap was constructed on the inner 1,069 feet of the west pier. In 1947, the west pierhead was rebuilt, and in 1883 various structural improvements were made. [1]

Description

The shipping channel between the piers is 150 feet wide and 15–17 feet deep. [4] The east and west entrance piers are 2,315 feet and 2,563 feet long, respectively. A flared approach channel extends 850 feet to deep water. The inner basin is 900 feet long and 12 feet deep. The Ontonagon harbor is the only refuge for small craft between the Keweenaw Waterway upper entrance and Black River Harbor. [4]

Harbor pier images

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Robert R Bottin Jr (June 1988), CASE HISTORIES OF CORPS BREAKWATER AND JETTY STRUCTURES, Report 3, North Central Division (PDF), Coastal Engineering Research Center, Waterways Experiment Station, Army Corps of Engineers, pp. 11, 55–59
  2. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  3. 1 2 Terry Pepper. "Ontonagon Pierhead Light". Seeing the Light. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Ontonagon Harbor, Michigan (Project Overview)". US Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
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