La Pointe Light

46°43′43.2″N 90°47′6.4″W / 46.728667°N 90.785111°W / 46.728667; -90.785111TowerConstructed1896FoundationConcreteConstructionCast ironAutomated1964Height65 feet (20 m)ShapeWhite, Skeletal with a central columnHeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place LightFirst lit1896Focal height70 feet (21 m)^[1]LensFourth order Fresnel lens (original), 12-inch (300 mm)Tideland Signal ML-300 Acrylic Optic (current)Range8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi)^[2]CharacteristicGreen, Isophase (Equal interval), 6 sec Nearest cityBayfield, WisconsinArea2 acres (0.81 ha)MPSU.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TRNRHP reference No.83003366^[3]Added to NRHPAugust 04, 1983

The La Pointe Light is a lighthouse located on Long Island, one of the Apostle Islands, in Lake Superior in Ashland County, Wisconsin, near the city of Bayfield.

Currently owned by the National Park Service and part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, as reference number 83003366. Listed in the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, WI-325 and WI-325-A. One of the oldest skeletal lighthouses on the Great Lakes, it played an important role in transportation on Lake Superior.^[4]

A square wooden tower, constructed in 1858, was located around 3,000 feet (910 m) west of the current light.^[5] The previous lens was moved to the Chequamegon Point Lighthouse in 1897. It is one of the Apostle Islands Lighthouses.

Getting there

Most of the Apostle Islands light stations may be reached on the Apostle Islands Cruise Service^[6] water taxi or by private boat during the summer. During the Annual Apostle Island Lighthouse Celebration^[7] ferry tour service is available for all the lighthouses. In the tourist season, volunteer park rangers are on many of the islands to greet visitors.^[8]

References

Further reading

External links

• Aerial photos of La Pointe Light, Marina.com.
• Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey Survey number HABS WI-325
• Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey Survey number HABS WI-325-A
• Lighthouse Friends, La Pointe Light article
• National Park Service Maritime History Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin, La Pointe Light. Archived 2006-02-09 at the Wayback Machine
• Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, New La Pointe Light Station.
• Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Old La Pointe Light Station.
• Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Northern Wisconsin". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
• "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Wisconsin". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017.
• Wobser, David, La Pointe Light Archived 2009-01-07 at the Wayback Machine, Boatnerd Originally in Great Laker Magazine.