Poe Reef Light
The light in 2001
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| Location | Lake Huron, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 45°41′42″N 84°21′42″W / 45.69500°N 84.36167°WCoordinates: 45°41′42″N 84°21′42″W / 45.69500°N 84.36167°W |
| Year first constructed | 1929 |
| Year first lit | 1929 |
| Foundation | Concrete crib |
| Construction | Concrete |
| Tower shape | Square |
| Markings / pattern | White & black daymark bands w/red roof on lanternConcrete |
| Height | 56 feet (17 m) |
| Focal height | 71 feet (22 m) |
| Original lens | Third order Fresnel Lens |
| Current lens | 14.8-inch (375 mm) Tideland Signal acrylic Optic |
| Range | 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi) |
| Characteristic | Iso W 2s |
| Fog signal | HORN: 1 every 30s |
| Racon | "Z" (– – • •) |
| ARLHS number | USA-610 |
| USCG number |
7-11750 |
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Poe Reef Light Station
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| Nearest city | Benton Township, Michigan |
| Area | 0.9 acres (0.36 ha) |
| Architect | U.S. Lighthouse Service |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement |
| MPS | Light Stations of the United States MPS |
| NRHP Reference # | |
| Added to NRHP | September 06, 2005 |
| Heritage | place listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
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7-11750
Poe Reef is a lighthouse located at the east end of South Channel between Bois Blanc Island and the mainland of the Lower Peninsula, about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Cheboygan
Poe Reef has historically caused problems for shipping. Powered vessels heading west to Lake Michigan generally use South Channel, which is approximately three nautical miles wide, but Poe Reef sits close to the middle of the channel and to the north of it the water is too shallow for lake freighters.
Many attempts were made to position a lightship here but it was difficult. Four different lightships served beginning in 1893: Lightships Nos. 62, 59, 96, and No. 99.
The Poe Reef Light was an extension of the effort—beginning in 1870 through 1910—where engineers began to build lights on isolated islands, reefs, and shoals that were significant navigational hazards. To that time, Light ships were the only practical way to mark the hazards, but were dangerous for the sailors who manned them, and difficult to maintain. "Worse, regardless of the type of anchors used lightships could be blown off their expected location in severe storms, making them a potential liability in the worst weather when captains would depend on the charted location of these lights to measure their own ship's distance from dangerous rocks."See, United States lightship Huron (LV-103).
The Poe Reef is one of several that mark the passage through the South Channel. The other major light is Fourteen Foot Shoal Light. The decision was made by the United States Lighthouse Service in 1926 to construct a permanent light here. The Poe Reef Light was completed in 1928.
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Wikipedia