The Alpena Light, also known as the Thunder Bay River Lighthouse
/ref> or Alpena Breakwater Light, is a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...

near Alpena, Michigan. Standing on the north

breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...

of Alpena Harbor, the light marks the entrance to the Thunder Bay River from Thunder Bay. The current lighthouse, built in 1914, replaced earlier wooden structures which had been in use since 1877 and 1888.Beacons in the Night: Michigan Lighthouse Chronology
Clarke Historical Library,

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...

. The current light is a weather-protected structure on a

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

frame. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, and the state inventory list the same year. National Park Service
Maritime Heritage Program, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Michigan Lighthouses, Alpena Light

History and description

The history of the Alpena Lights closely follows the history of the local timber industry. Shipping in and out of the Thunder Bay River has historically concentrated on logs, cut lumber, and rolls of paper and

newsprint Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper consisting mainly of wood pulp and most commonly used to print newspapers and other publications and advertising material. Invented in 1844 by Charles Fenerty of Nova Scotia, Canada, it usually has an ...

. The first petition for a lighthouse at the mouth of the Thunder Bay River, from a consortium of men active in the local lumber industry, came in 1857. Other pleas followed. Congress partly responded to these appeals in 1867 with an appropriation of $10,000 to build a light at nearby Trowbridge Point. After further appeals directly to the United States Lighthouse Board, the Board advised Congress to move the location of the prospective light to the mouth of the Thunder Bay River. This recommendation was a key element in the final location of the Alpena Light. Congress approved the recommendation in 1868.

First and second lights

In August 1875, the first Alpena Light was established as a temporary -tall "pole light" approximately ten miles off shore. Alpena04

In 1877, a second light was built from a timber design of Major Godfrey Weitzel. It was a brown wooden pyramidal tower, complete with a Sixth Order Fresnel lens. In July 1888 it burned with much of the town. After it burnt, keeper E.G. Howard—who had managed to save the keeper's house from the conflagration—again put up a temporary pole with a light. The original fog bell from the "1870 light" icis on display at the Huron Lights Museum north of town.

Current (third) light

The current Alpena Light (1914), the third light of that name, is thought to be the only lighthouse of this type in the U.S. Russ Rowlett, who maintains the online Lighthouse Directory, flatly states that: "this tower is the only surviving example of its design." However, the structure of this light is similar in concept to Lake Superior's Chequamegon Point Light.Wobser, David, Chequamegon Point Light, from an article that originally appeared in Great Laker Magazine
at Boatnerd. There are also skeletal towers of various other designs in the western Great Lakes. Originally painted black, its daymark function was enhanced in 1950 by painting it bright red. The current lens was installed circa 1996. The original Fresnel lens is presently located at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse.Anderson, Kraig, Lighthouse Friends, Alpena Harbor Lighthouse.
/ref> From 1878 to 1965 there were five lighthouse keepers at this location. The Alpena Light fog horn has gone through different iterations. In 1891, there was a fog bell with an automated striking mechanism, which was upgraded in 1920 to an electric alarm, and in 1932 to the current modern automated fog horn. The Alpena Light onshore complex once included a brick oil storage building, built in 1896; it was removed after the light's electrification. The light was automated in 1974. The current Alpena Light is tall; references in some sources to this light being " tall" are factually incorrect. ''Compare'' the U.S. Coast Guard Light List, the Terry Pepper Seeing the Light database of heights, and the Lighthouse Directory.

Getting there

The Alpena Light is best viewed from the transient docks at the City of Alpena’s

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

. It has been variously called "

Sputnik Sputnik 1 (; see § Etymology) was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for t ...

" and "Little Red" by locals. Others are dismissive, opining that it is "Long on duty, short on beauty." Another colorful local phrase is, "Don't kick the can." The light marks the Alpena harbor of refuge and is located just east of downtown Alpena.

The light today

Over the years, this light has been a source of civic pride, and has been the subject of many postcards. The Great Lakes lighthouse festival is centered in Alpena in the second weekend of each October, and this light was used in 1999 as a pictorial cancellation of stamps celebrating the event. Passing freighters in the river come very close to the light. As of 2010, the Alpena Light is an active aid to navigation. In June 2011, the General Services Administration made the Alpena Light (along with 11 others) available at no cost to public organizations willing to preserve them.

Replica

A scaled down

replica A 1:1 replica is an exact copy of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Al ...

of this light was built on Lake Havasu at

Lake Havasu City Lake Havasu City (, ) is a city in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 57,144, up from 52,527 in 2010. It is served by Lake Havasu City Airport. History The community first started as an ...

, Arizona.Photo of Lake Havasu Alpena Light replica.
The replica is in

Mohave County, Arizona Mohave County is in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 213,267. The county seat is Kingman, and the largest city is Lake Havasu City. It is the fifth largest county in the United St ...

, was sponsored by the County Board of Supervisors, and was built by members of th
Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club
It was dedicated on November 5, 2006, and is at GPS:3 4° 26.99' N - 114° 22.38' W. It is on the western tip of Havasu Island, under Alpena Replica and has a red light that flashes sixty times per minute.

References

External links

Alpena Lighthouse - United States Lighthouses

Satellite view of Alpena Light.
Google Maps. {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1875 Lighthouses completed in 1877 Lighthouses completed in 1914 Buildings and structures in Alpena County, Michigan Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Transportation in Alpena County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Alpena County, Michigan 1875 establishments in Michigan