Racine Reef Light

Last updated
Racine Reef Light #12
Racinereef.JPG
Racine Reef Light (USCG)
Racine Reef Light
LocationLake Michigan east of Racine
Coordinates 42°43′39.18″N87°44′10.02″W / 42.7275500°N 87.7361167°W / 42.7275500; -87.7361167 [1]
Tower
Constructed1906 [2]
FoundationBrick/concrete pier
ConstructionBrick and concrete
Automated1954 [2]
Shapeoctagonal house with central tower
Light
First lit2008  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Deactivated1961 [2]
Focal height72 ft (22 m) [3]
Lensfourth order Fresnel lens
Range11 nmi (20 km; 13 mi)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Characteristic Fl W 6s  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Racine Reef Light was a lighthouse located in Lake Michigan some two miles east of Racine, Wisconsin, marking the edge of its eponymous shallows. It was torn down in 1961 and replaced with a skeleton tower on the same foundation.

Contents

History

The Racine Reef is a major hazard to navigation not only for shipping in and out of Racine harbor, but also for traffic between Milwaukee and Chicago. It has been marked with a succession of aids, starting with a can buoy placed in 1869 after a study of erecting a lighthouse on the reef itself found the expense to be too great. [4] Various shore lights were also added including ranges based on the Racine breakwaters and a red beacon mounted on the Wind Point Light. These measures were found to be ineffective, and in 1898 construction began on a beacon set in the center of the reef. This acetylene-powered lamp was placed on a masonry platform resting on a wood crib; the light was first lit on August 31, 1899. [2] [4] This arrangement proved quickly to be quite problematic; the light was difficult to service and ever-increasing piles of rip-rap were laid about the platform in attempts to curb erosion and storm damage. In 1901 the beacon's iron tower was also made taller, but the problems continued. [4]

In 1901 the lighthouse board decided that a manned light was required, and in 1903 obtained a $75,000 appropriation. [4] Construction was protracted: the crib and concrete pier foundation were not completed until 1905. Atop this was erected a three-story octagonal brick house with a tower in the center to hold a fourth order Fresnel lens. [2] [4] The original steam whistle fog signal was replaced with diaphone foghorns in the mid-1920s. [4] The new tower was placed at the eastern edge of the reef, and upon its activation the old beacon was abandoned. [4]

The light was automated in 1954, but in 1961 the house was demolished due to the difficulties of maintenance. [2] By that point large amounts of rip-rap had been dumped around the pier in order to reduce vibration from waves and to limit winter icing of the structure. [4] A steel tower replaced the house and remains in service. The Fresnel lens was preserved and is displayed at the Racine Heritage Museum.

The iron package freighter Merchant ran aground on Racine Reef in 1875.

See also

Related Research Articles

Frankfort Light Lighthouse in Michigan, United States

The Frankfort Light is a lighthouse located on the north breakwater in the harbor in Frankfort, Michigan. The current light was constructed in 1912 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Michigan Island Light Lighthouse

The Michigan Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse operated by the National Park Service and located on Michigan Island on western Lake Superior in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

Kenosha Light Lighthouse

Kenosha Light is a lighthouse and keeper's house on Simmons Island north of the channel into Kenosha's harbor in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, USA.

Harbor of Refuge Light Lighthouse in Delaware, United States

The Harbor of Refuge Light is a lighthouse built on the ocean end of the outer Delaware Breakwater at the mouth of the Delaware Bay, just off Cape Henlopen. It was built to function with the Delaware Breakwater East End Light in order to mark the National Harbor of Refuge.

Wind Point Light Lighthouse

Wind Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse located at the north end of Racine Harbor in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is in the village of Wind Point, Wisconsin, on Lighthouse Road, next to the Shoop Park golf course. The lighthouse stands 108 feet (33 m) tall. One of the oldest and tallest active lighthouses on the Great Lakes, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Chicago Harbor Light Lighthouse

The Chicago Harbor Lighthouse is an automated active lighthouse, and stands at the south end of the northern breakwater protecting the Chicago Harbor, to the east of Navy Pier and the mouth of the Chicago River.

Milwaukee Pierhead Light Lighthouse

The Milwaukee Pierhead Light is an active lighthouse located in the Milwaukee harbor, just south of downtown. This aid to navigation is a 'sister' of the Kenosha North Pier Light.

Milwaukee Breakwater Light Lighthouse

The Milwaukee Breakwater lighthouse was built in 1926 in the harbor of Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin to mark the entrance to the harbor. One of the last fully enclosed breakwater lighthouses in the Great Lakes, the structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

Manistique East Breakwater Light Lighthouse in Michigan, United States

The Manistique East Breakwater Light is a lighthouse is located in the harbor of Manistique, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Ashtabula Harbor Light Lighthouse in Ohio, US

Ashtabula Harbor Light is a lighthouse in Ashtabula, Ohio. It was listed in the National Register on August 8, 1983.

Harbor Beach Light Lighthouse in Michigan, United States

The Harbor Beach Lighthouse is a "sparkplug lighthouse" located at the end of the north breakwall entrance to the harbor of refuge on Lake Huron. The breakwall and light were created by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to protect the harbor of Harbor Beach, Michigan, which is the largest man-made freshwater harbor in the world. Harbor Beach is located on the eastern edge of the Thumb of Huron County, in the state of Michigan.

Marquette Harbor Light Lighthouse in Michigan, United States

The Marquette Harbor Light is located on Lake Superior in Marquette, Michigan, a part of the Upper Peninsula. It is an active aid to navigation.

Rock of Ages Light Lighthouse in Michigan, United States

The Rock of Ages Light is a U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse on a small rock outcropping approximately 2.25 miles (3.62 km) west of Washington Island and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Isle Royale, in Eagle Harbor Township, Keweenaw County, Michigan. It is an active aid to navigation.

Indiana Harbor East Breakwater Light Lighthouse

The Indiana Harbor East Breakwater Light is an active aid to navigation that marks the end of a breakwater on the east side of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal where it enters Lake Michigan.

Port Washington Breakwater Light Lighthouse on Lake Michigan in Port Washington, Wisconsin, United States

The Port Washington Breakwater Light is a lighthouse built in 1935 at the entrance to the Port Washington, Wisconsin harbor on Lake Michigan. The second tower at this location, it remains an active aid to navigation. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.

Two Rivers Light Lighthouse

The Two Rivers Light is a lighthouse formerly located at the harbor entrance to Two Rivers, Wisconsin. It is now located in a museum in the city.

Duluth South Breakwater Inner Light Lighthouse

The Duluth South Breakwater Inner Light is a lighthouse on the south breakwater of the Duluth Ship Canal in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It forms a range with the Duluth South Breakwater Outer Light to guide ships into the canal from Lake Superior. The current structure was built from 1900 to 1901.

Racine Harbor Lighthouse and Life Saving Station United States historic place

The Racine Harbor Lighthouse and Life Saving Station is a complex of navigation aids begun by the U.S. government in the 1860s near the harbor of Racine, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light Lighthouse in Michigan, United States

The Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light, also known as the Portage Entry Light, is a lighthouse located at the south end of breakwater at mouth of the Portage River in Torch Lake Township. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

Racine North Breakwater Light Lighthouse in Racine, Wisconsin

The Racine North Breakwater Light is a lighthouse located on Lake Michigan, connected via breakwater to Racine, Wisconsin. The light was deactivated in 1987 yet still stands in its original location, now a tourist destination.

References

  1. ↑ Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2013. p. 191.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Wisconsin". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  3. ↑ Pepper, Terry. "Focal Heights" . Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pepper, Terry. "Racine Reef Lighthouse" . Retrieved 2014-07-09.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.