About Me

My photo
After retirement, for two summers I worked as a tour guide at the Umpqua River Lighthouse in Oregon. This opportunity enabled me to learn more about that lighthouse than any of the others I've seen. Although I have personally visited and photographed over 300 lighthouses in the United States and three Provinces in Canada, the Umpqua River Lighthouse has special meaning for me. That Lighthouse inspired me to write two fictional books with the characters working, living, and enduring the challenges of lighthouse keeping. All pictures posted in this blog were taken by myself, unless noted otherwise.

Book Info.

I hope you will find time to enjoy my books. Preview the book covers below at the right side of page.

Book #1: "The Wickie and the Umpqua Lighthouse." Detail: "The Wickie and the Umpqua Lighthouse" is an 1860's story about the lighthouse keepers and their families at the Umpqua River Lighthouse. It will stir your emotions and warm your heart. Discover the challenges they met but never expected, and their determination to maintain navigational aid to mariners on the Oregon coast. (Wickie is a nickname used by the early lighthouse keepers at the Umpqua River Lighthouse in OR.)

Book #2: "Spirit of The Lighthouse" is a sequel to The Wickie. Detail: Jesse Fayette, assistant keeper at the Umpqua River Lighthouse, finds himself alone to operate and maintain an Oregon lighthouse after the accidental death of his head keeper. After notifying the Lighthouse Board and requesting help, he is surprised but must deal with an acquaintance, Red Saunders, who believes the lighthouse is haunted.

Book #3: "Unexpected Moments" has a different theme than those of Book #1 and #2. Detail: Dan and Megan, as well as their old friends Jim and Anna, experience unexpected moments of hardships and tragedies in Arizona and California. Will they survive these unexpected moments and find any hope for their futures?

All of my books are available on Amazon.

25 October 2018

After a Variety of Towers and Locations, It's A Beauty


The North Point Lighthouse in Milwaukee, WI is the third lighthouse built there. The first, a 30 ft tall tower was erected in 1838 but operation didn’t start until 1839. Its source of light was provided by seven lanterns in the lantern room. Location of the lighthouse was quickly determined to be unfavorable as it did not enable the light to provide proper navigational assistance. 

In 1855, a second tower 28 feet tall was built approximately 100 feet east of the present lighthouse on a 56 foot bluff overlooking the lake. The tower’s lantern room housed a fourth-order Fresnel lens. Eventually, erosion forced officials to replace that lighthouse. So, in 1887 a new lighthouse tower was completed at a height of 39 feet, and it was built entirely of bolted cast iron sections.

Years later in 1912, a steel plate lower section of a tower was built, and the aforementioned cast iron tower disassembled and then reassembled on top of the new steel lower section. This procedure raised the light to a height of 74 feet above ground and above the lake to a new height of almost 160 feet. This lighthouse operated until 1994 when it was deactivated.


Eventually, the lighthouse was transferred to Milwaukee County. They leased the property to the North Point Lighthouse Friends. You can visit this beautiful and unique lighthouse located on N. Wahl Ave in Lake Park, Milwaukee, WI.

No comments: