Sturgeon Bay Pierhead Lighthouse, Wisconsin
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Sturgeon Bay Pierhead Lighthouse, Wisconsin
During the latter part of the nineteenth century, as the lumber industry expanded, shipping increased dramatically on Lake Michigan. On the western shores of the lake, the port city of Green Bay developed rapidly as a major commercial center. To approach Green Bay’s harbor, ships were required to pass through a dangerous stretch of water known as “Death’s Door,” located at the tip of Door Peninsula. Finally in 1881, the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal was competed, bisecting peninsula. Mariners were not only able to save a tremendous amount of time circumnavigating the peninsula, but more importantly, they could now bypass Death’s Door.
To aid mariners passing through the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, the Lighthouse Service immediately authorized a lighthouse to mark the canal’s entrance. In the spring of 1882, a thirty-five foot tower and brick dwelling was erected on Sturgeon Bay’s North Pierhead, a few feet off Lake Michigan’s blue waters. Situated on the north side of the canal, the lantern room was fitted with a sixth order optic.
Within a few years, mariners began demanding a more powerful light to guide them into the canal. In 1899 a 98-foot light tower was constructed on the shore, not far from the North Pierhead station. Illuminated by a second order Fresnel lens, the new sentinel flashed its welcome beacon from a 107-foot focal plane. An experimental design, the steel cylinder is supported by lattice buttresses and anchored in a concrete foundation. While sturdy in appearance, the tower was unable to withstand the stress of the strong Lake Michigan winds.
Four years later, the structure was almost entirely rebuilt. A steel skeleton framework was erected to support the watch room and lantern, and the concrete foundation anchoring the lattice buttresses was widened. At the same time, extensive modifications were made to the North Pierhead light.
Today, the Sturgeon Bay Canal Light still serves as an active aid to navigation. Currently displaying an automated third order optic, the historic sentinel is managed directly by the U.S. Coast Guard. Other structures on the property include a handsome keeper’s cottage, a radio beacon and nearby lifeboat station. Each May, the Door County Chamber of Commerce sponsors the popular “Festival of Blossoms.” During the Festival, the Door County Maritime Museum conducts an exciting tour of lighthouses on the peninsula, including the Sturgeon Bay Canal Light. Visitors are permitted to climb the tall tower and take in the spectacular, panoramic Lake Michigan vista.
If you enjoyed reading this little bit of lighthouse history, taken from THE OFFICIAL COLLECTORS GUIDE HARBOUR LIGHTS, click on this link to purchase the book.