The Presque Isle lighthouse with its 113 foot tower is located at Presque Isle, Michigan. In French the name means "almost an island." The lighthouse was built in 1870 as a taller replacement for the Old Presque Isle Light built in 1840.
I'm using this lighthouse as an example to show the catwalk which is part of almost every lighthouse I've photographed. I used the term catwalk while conducting tours at the Umpqua River Lighthouse in OR. The term catwalk, I discovered, was new to some people. Since then, I've researched the word "catwalk" and would like to share some of the information.
Simple definition of catwalk: 1) A narrow structure for people to walk on along a bridge or high up on the side of a building. 2) The raised structure that models walk along in a fashion show.
The first known use of the word catwalk was in 1845 and related to ships and theatrical back stages.
I've always been curious how catwalk got its name. I'm still not certain, but from research I suspect the cat was inspiration for the name because of the animal's ability to walk on very narrow surfaces.
