A Wisconsin Beauty - Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Lighthouse

The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Lighthouse stands in the center of a working Coast Guard station. It is located on the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, Sturgeon Bay, WI. The lantern room houses a third-order Fresnel lens from which its light is visible for 18-miles. Although the lighthouse was built in 1898, it did not become operational until 1899 due to instability and vibration problems with the 102-foot tall tower. For the next few years, different types of supports were tried, but it wasn't until 1903 when the current skeletal steel framework was installed did the tower become study. Originally, the tower was painted a brownish red color, but in 1900 it was painted white.

This lighthouse was active at the time of my visit here in 1998. Condition of the tower and nearby buildings reflected that Coast Guard personnel took great pride in maintaining these assets.  During my travels to visit the many different lighthouses around the country, red roofs, like those shown above, were typical of most Coast Guard buildings.

A Washington Beauty - Alki Point Lighthouse

The Alki Point Lighthouse is located at West Seattle, WA. The first light displayed at the Point was a lantern hung out by a landowner in 1880 to warn ships of the Point because it sticks out so far into Puget Sound. The Lighthouse Service built a lens lantern in 1887 and mounted it on top of a post. Then in 1913, this 37-foot octagonal tower was built along with the attached fog-signal building. The tower's lantern room originally housed a fourth-order Fresnel lens.

The U.S. Coast Guard took over operation of the lighthouse in 1939. They replaced the Fresnel lens in 1962 with a rotating beacon light, similar to those used at airports.

The light station was automated in 1984, which eliminated the need for keepers on site .

At the time of my visit here in 1999, the lighthouse was active and operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.