Rock of Ages Light

Infobox_Lighthouse


caption = Rock of Ages Light
location = Isle Royale, Michigan
coordinates =coord|47|51|59|N|89|18|52.5|W|type:landmark_region:US-MI|display=inline,title
yearbuilt = 1908
yearlit = 1910
automated = 1978
yeardeactivated =
foundation = Concrete Pier
Steel Caisson
construction = Steel, Masonry, Concrete
shape = Cylindrical/Conical
marking = White
Black base and lantern
height = convert|117|ft|m|abbr=on
elevation = convert|130|ft|m|abbr=on
lens = 2nd Order bivalve Fresnel Lens [In 1908, a 3rd Order Fresnel lens was temporarily installed, but the lantern was designed for the 2nd Order lens, which had not yet arrived. [http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Superior/RockofAges.htm Wobser, David, "Rock of Ages Light" "Great Laker" magazine (December, 2004), Boatnerd.com.] ]
currentlens = 300 mm Tidelands Acrylic Optic [ [http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/superior/rockofages/rockofages.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Rock of Ages Light.] ]
intensity =
range =
characteristic = two flashes every 10 s
admiralty =
NGA =
ARLHS = USA-698
USCG = 7-16655The Rock of Ages Light is an active U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse on a small rock outcropping approximately convert|5|mi|km|abbr=on west of Isle Royale in Keweenaw County, Michigan.

Wrecks of the "Cumberland" and the "Chisholm"

The Rock of Ages reef consists of outcroppings of rocks west of Isle Royale that is a hazard to navigation. Several wrecks occurred on the reef prior to the construction of the lighthouse.

The "Cumberland" was a convert|200|ft|m|abbr=on side-wheeled steamer that was built in Canada in 1872 for $100,000. She operated between Georgian Bay and Duluth, Minnesota. In July 1877, she sailed from Port Arthur, Ontario for Duluth. In clear weather, she ran into the reef under steam. Effort to pull the ship from the rocks failed. On August 6 1877, the ship was abandoned. Later that month, she broke in two and sunk in nearby waters.

On October 18 1898, the "Henry Chisolm", which was built in Cleveland, Ohio in 1880, ran on the rocks while steaming at 9 knots. Salvage vessels could not save the ship. She broke up in a storm at the end of October. She sank on top of the wreck of "Cumberland".cite web|url=http://uslhs.org/assets/resources/articles/rock_of_ages.pdf
title=Rock of Ages Light Station|accessdate=2008-05-24|work=The Keeper's Log|publisher=U.S. Lighthouse Society]

Rock of Ages Light

In 1908, construction began on the lighthouse. The construction crew established a base at Washington Harbor and used the lighthouse tender "Amaranth" to ferry men and materials to the site. A section of a rock was blasted to provide a flat area for the foundation. A steel cylindrical wall was erected and filled with concrete to give a pier that was convert|50|ft|m|abbr=on in diameter and convert|25|ft|m|abbr=on tall. The skeleton of the tower was built from steel. The inner and outer walls of the tower were constructed of brick. The concrete floors were supported on radial steel beams. The spiral stairs were cast iron. When the tower was enclosed, a bunkhouse, mess hall, and galley were built on a timber platform on the rock. The lighthouse was lit in 1908 with a temporary light.

In 1910, a second-order Fresnel made by Barbier, Benard & Turenne [ [http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/superior/rockofages/rockofages.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Rock of Ages Light.] ] was purchased and installed. The lens floated in a mercury bath to provide very low turning friction. These massive lenses are 81.46" high, with a focal length of 27.6". It weighed 3,530 lbs. Relative to a sixth order Fresnel, it was 11.54 brighter, and would have a useful range of up to 20 nautical miles. Hourly oil consumption was 17 1/5 ounces. Similar lights were installed at Grosse Point Light and White Shoal Light. [ [http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/closeups/illumination/fresnel/2order.htm Second Order Fresnel lens, Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light.] ]

A crew of lighthouse keepers was landed on the station each spring at the beginning of the shipping season, stayed the entire shipping season, and left in the fall.

The light was automated in 1978, which ended 68 years of service by light keepers. In 1985, the Fresnel lens was replaced when the light was powered by solar energy. The orignal lens was moved to the Windigo Visitor Center of the Isle Royale National Park [ [http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/park/rockages.htm National Park Service, Maritime Herirage, Inventory of Historic Lighthouses, Rock of Ages Light.] ] ] , and seeing the lens is said to be 'worth the trip.' [ [http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Superior/RockofAges.htm Wobser, David, "Rock of Ages Light" "Great Laker" magazine (December, 2004), Boatnerd.com.] ]

Wreck of the "George M. Cox"

The "George M. Cox" was a convert|270|ft|m|abbr=on steamer that was built in 1901 and christened the "SS Puritan". This ship served briefly in the U.S. Navy to transport troops back home at the conclusion of World War I. In 1933, she was purchased by George Cox and renamed the "George M. Cox." On a cruise of Lake Superior with a contingent of special guests, she struck the reef in the fog near the Rock Ages of Light on May 27 1933. The 127 passengers and crew were rescued and spent the night in the crowded lighthouse and the surrounding rocks. Being unsalvageable, the ship remained on the rocks until the ship was broken up in an October storm. It sunk near the wrecks of the "Cumberland" and the "Chisholm".

National Register of Historic Places

Infobox nrhp
name = Rock of Ages Light Station
nrhp_type =
architect= Keller; Beger,Walter F.
designated =August 04 1983
refnum = 83000881
mpsub=U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TR
governing_body = U.S. Coast Guard

The Rock of Ages Light Station was named to the National Register of Historic Places on August 04 1983, No. 83000881. [ [http://nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/mi/Keweenaw/state.html National Register of Historic Places] ] It was one of the Michigan lighthouses discussed in "U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TR". [ [http://www.nr.nps.gov/iwisapi/explorer.dll?IWS_SCHEMA=Cover&IWS_LOGIN=1&IWS_REPORT=100000007 "U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TR"] ] It is also listed as a national Historic American Building Site, MI-388 (WASO), because it was a "major engineering feat in an isolated location. [ [http://www.michiganlights.com/rockofageslh.htm Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, Rock of Ages Light.] ]

The wrecks of the "Cumberland", the "Chisholm", and the "George M. Cox" were independently named to the National Register of Historic Places.

Further reading

* [http://www.michiganlighthouse.org/bibliography.html Bibliography on Michigan lighthouses.]
* Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein, "The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses" (2002) ISBN 1592231020; ISBN 978-1592231027.
* Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan. "The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes." Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995. ISBN 0814325548 ISBN 9780814325544.
* Jones, Ray & Bruce Roberts, "American Lighthouses" (Globe Pequot, September 1, 1998, 1st Ed.) ISBN 0762703245; ISBN 978-0762703241.
* Jones, Ray,"The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference" (Globe Pequot, January 1, 2004, 1st ed.) ISBN 0762727357; ISBN 978-0762727353.
* Noble, Dennis, "Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy" (Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997). ISBN 1557506388; ISBN 9781557506382.
* Oleszewski, Wes, "Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses", (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
* Penrod, John, "Lighthouses of Michigan", (Berrien Center, Michigan: Penrod/Hiawatha, 1998) ISBN 9780942618785 ISBN 9781893624238.
*
* Putnam, George R., "Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States", (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
* Splake, T. Kilgore. "Superior Land Lights". Battle Creek, MI: Angst Productions, 1984.
* United States Coast Guard, "Aids to Navigation", (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
* [http://www.uscg.mil/History/weblighthouses/h_lhbib.asp United States Coast Guard, "Aids to Navigation Historical Bibliography".]
*
* Wagner, John L., "Michigan Lighthouses: An Aerial Photographic Perspective", (East Lansing, Michigan: John L. Wagner, 1998) ISBN 1880311011 ISBN 9781880311011.
* Wargin, Ed, "Legends of Light: A Michigan Lighthouse Portfolio" (Ann Arbor Media Group, 2006). ISBN 9781587262517.
* Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, "Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia" Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1550463993.

External links

* [http://marinas.com/view/lighthouse/1278 Aerial photos, Rock of Ages Light, marinas.com.]
* [http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/SPECIAL01/80519001 Detroit News, Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses.]
* [http://www.lighthousesrus.org/Maps/mapIt.htm?file=GL/Superior2.xml Interactive map of lighthouses, Central Lake Superior, powered by Google.]
* [http://www.lighthousesrus.org/Maps/mapIt.htm?file=GL/Superior1.xml Interactive map of lighthouses in eastern Lake Superior, powered by Google.]
* [http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/superior/rockofages/rockofages13.htm Interview with Bill Muesel (Lighousekeeper) concerning Rock of Ages Light, Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light.]
* [http://www.lighthousecentral.com/lighthouse_gallery.php4?lighthouse=Rock%20of%20Ages%20Light Lighthouse Central, Rock of Ages light.]
* [http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/miup.htm Lighthouse Digest, Michigan Upper Peninsula lights (University of North Carolina).]
* [http://www.michiganlights.com/rockofageslh.htm Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, Rock of Ages Light.]
* National Park Service [http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/park/rockages.htm , Maritime Heritage, Inventory of Historic Lighthouses, Rock of Ages Light.]
* [http://haldigitalcollections.cdmhost.com/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=any&CISOBOX1=Ages&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=all Photographs, Rock of Ages Lighthouse, Archives of Michigan.]
* [http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/superior/rockofages/rockofages.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Rock of Ages Light.]
* U.S. Coast Guard [http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHMI.asp 's complete list of Michigan lights with photographs and descriptions, including Rock of Ages Light.]
* [http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pubs/LightLists/V7COMPLETE.PDF Volume 7, US Coast Guard Lightlist (PDF).]
* [http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Superior/RockofAges.htm Wobser, David, "Rock of Ages Light" "Great Laker" magazine (December, 2004), Boatnerd.com.]

References