Point Iroquois Light
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Point Iroquois light
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| Location | Whitefish Bay, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 46°29.021′N 84°37.541′W / 46.483683°N 84.625683°WCoordinates: 46°29.021′N 84°37.541′W / 46.483683°N 84.625683°W |
| Year first lit | 1856 / 1870 |
| Deactivated | 1963 |
| Foundation | Cement |
| Construction | Brick |
| Tower shape | Frustum of a cone |
| Markings / pattern | White tower, black parapet and lantern |
| Height | 65 feet (20 m) |
| Focal height | 72 feet (22 m) |
| Original lens | Fourth-order Fresnel lens |
| Current lens | None |
| Range | 13 nautical miles; 24 kilometres (15 mi) |
| Characteristic | flash every 30 seconds |
| ARLHS number |
USA-624 |
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Point Iroquois Light Station
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| Nearest city | Brimley, Michigan |
| Area | less than 1-acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1870 |
| NRHP Reference # | 75000940 |
| Added to NRHP | May 30, 1975 |
USA-624
Point Iroquois Light is a lighthouse on a Chippewa County bluff in the U.S. state of Michigan. Point Iroquois and its light mark the division line between Whitefish Bay and the western end of the St. Marys River, the connection between Lake Superior and other Great Lakes.
Point Iroquois includes a larger geographic area than the light station site. It was named for the Iroquois warriors massacred there by the Ojibwe in 1662. Native Algonkians called the point "Nadouenigoning", composed of the words "Nadone" (Iroquois) and "Akron" (bone).
In 1620, French explorers Étienne Brûlé and Grenoble became the first recorded white men to the area. "From that time, Point Iroquois became a familiar landmark" for French explorers, fur traders and missionaries who followed. Sault Ste. Marie was the first white settlement in what became known as Michigan.
In 1853 Congress, which had approved the construction of the first Soo Locks on the St. Mary's River, appropriated $5,000 for the construction of what would be the first lighthouse at Point Iroquois. In 1855-1856 the United States Lighthouse Board implemented this appropriation and built a wood and rubble stone lighthouse at the Point; this aid to navigation commenced operations on June 18, 1856. The first Point Iroquois light was a 45-foot-tall (14 m) rubble stone tower with a wooden lantern deck, outfitted with a flashing white fourth order Fresnel lens. Being built on the Point's highest ground, this first light had a 63-foot (19 m) focal plane, and a range of visibility of 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi). A dwelling for a full-time lightkeeper was included as part of the complex. The St. Martin Reef Light is a twin of this first light station.
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Wikipedia