Alpena Light

{{Infobox lighthouse

| image_name = Lighthouse at Alpena MI 2005-09.jpeg

| location = End of N breakwater at Thunder Bay River mouth, 150 ft. from shore, Alpena, Michigan

| coordinates = {{coord|45|3|37.5|N|83|25|22.44|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| yearbuilt = 1914

| yearlit = 1914

| foundation = Breakwater{{Cite web |url=http://www.michiganlighthouse.org/lighthouse_detail.php.htm |title=Michigan Lighthouse fund, Alpena Light. |access-date=2008-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106195709/http://www.michiganlighthouse.org/lighthouse_detail.php.htm |archive-date=2009-01-06 |url-status=dead }}

| construction = Cast iron[http://www.michiganlights.com/alpenalh.htm Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, Alpena Pier Light.]

| shape = four-legged pyramid skeleton tower

| marking = Red Daymark with upper part enclosed

| height = {{convert|34|ft|m}}Database, {{cite web|url=http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/index.htm |author=Pepper, Terry |title=Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080130074143/http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/index.htm |archive-date=2008-01-30 }}

| focalheight = {{convert|42|ft|m}}{{cite web |url=http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/lists/focalheight.htm |author=Pepper, Terry |work=Seeing the Light |title=Database of Focal Heights |publisher=terrypepper.com |access-date=2009-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830100452/http://www.terrypepper.com/Lights/lists/focalheight.htm |archive-date=2008-08-30 |url-status=dead }}

| lens = Fourth order Fresnel lens (original), {{convert|250|mm|order=flip|adj=on}} Tideland Signal acrylic optic[http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/huron/alpena/index.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Alpena Breakwater Light.]But see, claimed "190 mm plastic optic." [http://www.us-lighthouses.com/displaypage.php?LightID=203 U.S. Lighthouses, Alpena Light.] (current)

| range = {{convert|12|nmi}}

| characteristic = Fl R 5 secs

| fogsignal = HORN: 1 blast ev 15s (2s bl). Operates May 1 to Oct. 20.{{cite uscgll|7||}}

| module = {{Infobox NRHP

| embed = yes

| name = Alpena Light

| architect = US Lighthouse Service

| added = March 29, 2006

| area = less than one acre

| mpsub = Light Stations of the United States MPS

| refnum = 06000197{{NRISref|2009a}}

}}}}

The Alpena Light, also known as the Thunder Bay River Lighthouse[http://www.thunderbay.noaa.gov/history/lighthouses.html#thunderbayriver Thunderbay National Marine Sanctuary, Thunder Bay River Lighthouse.] or Alpena Breakwater Light, is a lighthouse on Lake Huron near Alpena, Michigan.[http://wlol.arlhs.com/lighthouse/USA007.html Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, Alpena (Lake Huron) Light ARLHS USA-007.][http://wlol.arlhs.com/ Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, World List of Lights (WLOL).] Standing on the north breakwater of Alpena Harbor, the light marks the entrance to the Thunder Bay River from Thunder Bay. The current lighthouse, built in 1914, replaced earlier wooden structures which had been in use since 1877 and 1888.[http://clarke.cmich.edu/lighthouses/lhtime1.htm Beacons in the Night: Michigan Lighthouse Chronology], Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. The current light is a weather-protected structure on a steel frame. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, and the state inventory list the same year.National Park Service, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070704155328/http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/light/alpena.htm Maritime Heritage Program, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Michigan Lighthouses, Alpena Light].

History and description

The history of the Alpena Lights closely follows the history of the local timber industry. Shipping in and out of the Thunder Bay River has historically concentrated on logs, cut lumber, and rolls of paper and newsprint. The first petition for a lighthouse at the mouth of the Thunder Bay River, from a consortium of men active in the local lumber industry, came in 1857. Other pleas followed.

Congress partly responded to these appeals in 1867 with an appropriation of $10,000 to build a light at nearby Trowbridge Point. After further appeals directly to the United States Lighthouse Board, the Board advised Congress to move the location of the prospective light to the mouth of the Thunder Bay River. This recommendation was a key element in the final location of the Alpena Light. Congress approved the recommendation in 1868.

=First and second lights=

In August 1875, the first Alpena Light was established as a temporary {{convert|25|ft|adj=on}}-tall "pole light" approximately ten miles off shore.[http://www.lighthousecentral.com/lighthouse_gallery.php4?lighthouse=Alpena%20Light Lighthouse Central, Alpena Light Photographs, History and Directions, The Ultimate Guide to East Michigan Lighthouses by Jerry Roach] (Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC - July 2006).] {{ISBN|0-9747977-1-5}}.

File:Alpena04.jpg

In 1877, a second light was built from a timber design of Major Godfrey Weitzel. It was a brown wooden pyramidal tower, complete with a Sixth Order Fresnel lens. In July 1888 it burned with much of the town. After it burnt, keeper E.G. Howard—who had managed to save the keeper's house from the conflagration—again put up a temporary pole with a light. The original fog bell from the "1870 light" [sic] is on display at the Huron Lights Museum north of town.{{Cite web |url=http://www.huronlights.com/new_store/museum.php |title=Huron Lights museum. |access-date=2009-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411212535/http://www.huronlights.com/new_store/museum.php |archive-date=2009-04-11 |url-status=dead }}

=Current (third) light=

File:Alpena lighthouse -b.JPG base]]

The current Alpena Light (1914), the third light of that name,{{cite uscghist|MI}} is thought to be the only lighthouse of this type in the U.S.{{Cite web |url=http://www.alpenacvb.com/the-alpena-light-36/ |title=Alpena County Tourist Bureau. |access-date=2008-08-18 |archive-date=2008-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080817231807/http://www.alpenacvb.com/the-alpena-light-36/ |url-status=dead }} Russ Rowlett, who maintains the online Lighthouse Directory, flatly states that: "this tower is the only surviving example of its design."{{cite rowlett|miel}} However, the structure of this light is similar in concept to Lake Superior's Chequamegon Point Light.[http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Superior/chequamegonpoint.htm Wobser, David, Chequamegon Point Light, from an article that originally appeared in Great Laker Magazine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091031073932/http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Superior/chequamegonpoint.htm |date=2009-10-31 }} at Boatnerd. There are also skeletal towers of various other designs in the western Great Lakes.See, [http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/lists/towertype.htm List of Tower Types, Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091115110949/http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/lists/towertype.htm |date=2009-11-15 }}

Originally painted black, its daymark function was enhanced in 1950 by painting it bright red.

The current lens was installed circa 1996. The original Fresnel lens is presently located at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse.[http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=177 Anderson, Kraig, Lighthouse Friends, Alpena Harbor Lighthouse.]

From 1878 to 1965 there were five lighthouse keepers at this location.[http://www.terrypepper.com/Lights/huron/alpena/keepers.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, List of Alpena keepers.]

The Alpena Light fog horn has gone through different iterations. In 1891, there was a fog bell with an automated striking mechanism, which was upgraded in 1920 to an electric alarm, and in 1932 to the current modern automated fog horn.

The Alpena Light onshore complex once included a brick oil storage building, built in 1896; it was removed after the light's electrification. The light was automated in 1974.

The current Alpena Light is {{convert|34|ft}} tall; references in some sources to this light being "{{convert|80|ft}} tall" are factually incorrect.See also [http://www.michiganlights.com/alpenalh.htm Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, Alpena Pier Light.] Compare the U.S. Coast Guard Light List, the Terry Pepper Seeing the Light database of heights, and the Lighthouse Directory.

Getting there

The Alpena Light is best viewed from the transient docks at the City of Alpena’s marina. It has been variously called "Sputnik" and "Little Red" by locals. Others are dismissive, opining that it is "Long on duty, short on beauty." Another colorful local phrase is, "Don't kick the can." The light marks the Alpena harbor of refuge and is located just east of downtown Alpena.

The light today

Over the years, this light has been a source of civic pride, and has been the subject of many postcards.[http://www.michiganlights.com/alpenalh.htm Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, Alpena Lighthouse, postcard views.] The Great Lakes lighthouse festival is centered in Alpena in the second weekend of each October, and this light was used in 1999 as a pictorial cancellation of stamps celebrating the event.[http://www.lighthousestampsociety.org/cancels/us10-10-99.jpg Alpena Light cancellation.] Passing freighters in the river come very close to the light.[http://boatnerd.com/news/newpictures02/algorailb6-3-02-bcm.jpg Picture, ship passing Alpena Light] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708074936/http://boatnerd.com/news/newpictures02/algorailb6-3-02-bcm.jpg |date=2011-07-08 }} at Boatnerd.

As of 2010, the Alpena Light is an active aid to navigation.

In June 2011, the General Services Administration made the Alpena Light (along with 11 others) available at no cost to public organizations willing to preserve them.{{cite news|title=For sale: Waterfront property; cozy, great views, plenty of light, needs TLC|url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/12/for-sale-waterfront-property-cozy-great-views-plenty-of-light-needs-tlc/?hpt=hp_t2|access-date=12 July 2011|newspaper=CNN|archive-date=15 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715183812/http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/12/for-sale-waterfront-property-cozy-great-views-plenty-of-light-needs-tlc/?hpt=hp_t2|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|last=Beatty|first=MaryAnne|title=GSA Making 12 Historic Lighthouses Available at No Cost to Public Organizations Willing to Preserve Them|url=http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/286133|work=GSA Website|publisher=US General Services Administration|access-date=12 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622054934/http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/286133|archive-date=22 June 2011|url-status=dead}}

Replica

A scaled down replica of this light was built on Lake Havasu at Lake Havasu City, Arizona.[http://www.lh-lighthouseclub.org/lights_001_034.htm Photo of Lake Havasu Alpena Light replica.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114043454/http://www.lh-lighthouseclub.org/lights_001_034.htm |date=2016-01-14 }} The replica is in Mohave County, Arizona, was sponsored by the County Board of Supervisors, and was built by members of the [http://www.lh-lighthouseclub.org/ Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club]. It was dedicated on November 5, 2006, and is at GPS:3 4° 26.99' N - 114° 22.38' W. It is on the western tip of Havasu Island,{{cite rowlett|az}} under Alpena Replica and has a red light that flashes sixty times per minute.

References

External links

[http://unitedstateslighthouses.com/explore-us-lighthouses/midwest-region/1-alpena-lighthouse.html/ Alpena Lighthouse - United States Lighthouses]
[http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=45.060396,-83.422869&spn=0.001955,0.003369&t=h&z=18&om=1 Satellite view of Alpena Light.] Google Maps.

Category:Lighthouses completed in 1875

Category:Lighthouses completed in 1877

Category:Lighthouses completed in 1914

Category:Buildings and structures in Alpena County, Michigan

Category:Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan

Category:Transportation in Alpena County, Michigan

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Alpena County, Michigan

Category:1875 establishments in Michigan