The

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 ...

at Fourteen Foot

Shoal In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It ...

was named to note that the lake is only deep at this point, which is a hazard to navigation, ships and mariners. This light is located at the northern end of

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 ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, US, where it is necessary for boats heading to Chicago to pass through a narrow strait and still avoid shallow water. The most common path is to go south of

Bois Blanc Island (Michigan) Bois Blanc Island is an island in Lake Huron within Bois Blanc Township, Mackinac County, Michigan. The island covers about and is about 12 miles (19 km) long, 6 miles (9.6 km) wide and has 6 lakes. It lies southeast of Mackinac Isla ...

. In this channel, the

Poe Reef Light Poe Reef is a lighthouse located at the east end of South Channel between Bois Blanc Island and the mainland of the Lower Peninsula, about east of Cheboygan, Michigan. Poe Reef has historically caused problems for shipping. Powered vessels hea ...

marks the northern end of the safe channel and the Fourteen Foot Shoal light marks the southern side of the channel.

History

The

United States Lighthouse Service The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the United States Government and the general lighthouse authority for the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 as the successor of the ...

intended from the time of design that this light would be automated (possibly the first such instance) and operated by radio control from the nearby

which is away; the keeper's house was never intended to be used as a residence. In 1925 a temporary acetylene buoy was installed there and construction of the permanent light began in 1929 such that the light could begin operation in 1930. The original light was a fourth-order

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

. The focal plane is . It now has a acrylic optic Fresnel lens, and assuming it is properly installed and adjusted, has a maximum visible range of . A

diaphone The diaphone is a noisemaking device best known for its use as a foghorn: It can produce deep, powerful tones, able to carry a long distance. Although they have fallen out of favor, diaphones were also used at some fire stations and in other situ ...

fog horn A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. W ...

is attached.

Current status and getting there

It is in U.S. Coast Guard District 9, and is still an active

aid to navigation In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Ai ...

. In 2002 the crew of the Cutter USCGC ''Mackinaw'' (WAGB-83) painted and refurbished the light. The light has been added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

; but is not on the state registry, although it was determined to be eligible by the Michigan

State Historic Preservation Office The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is a state governmental function created by the United States federal government in 1966 under Section 101 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The purposes of a SHPO include surveying an ...

. A private boat is, of course, the best way to see this light close up. Short of that, Sheplers Ferry Service out of

Mackinaw City Mackinaw City ( ) is a village in Emmet and Cheboygan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 846 at the 2010 census, the population increases during summertime, including an influx of tourists and seasonal workers who serve ...

offers periodic lighthouse cruises in the summer season. Its "Eastbound Tour" includes passes by Round Island Light, Bois Blanc Island and

Light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...

and Fourteen Foot Shoal. Schedules and rates are available from Shepler's. Boat narration is provided by the Great Lakes Lightkeepers Association.West Michigan Tourist Association, Fourteen Foot Shoal Light.
A distant view can be had from the

Cheboygan Crib Light The Cheboygan Crib Light is a light that marks the west pier head of the mouth of the Cheboygan River into Lake Huron. The pier head, in the center of the municipality of Cheboygan, is located at the north or lake end of Huron Street, and is on ...

and the

Cheboygan State Park Cheboygan State Park is a public recreation area covering on the shores of Lake Huron in Cheboygan County, Michigan, United States. The state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those ...

. On May 15, 2012, the National Park Service made the light available for ownership transfer under the

National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act The National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 (NHLPA; Public Law 106-355; 16 U.S.C. 470w-7) is American legislation creating a process for the transfer of federally owned lighthouses into private hands. It was created as an extension o ...

. On September 30, 2017, the GSA ended its public auction transferring ownership to the Lake Huron Lighthouse Preservation Society Inc., a Michigan nonprofit organization managed by Jerry Persons and Joseph Niewiek.

References

External links

* *
Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses.

Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on Februar ...

Interactive map, pictures, descriptions of Northern Lake Huron lights.

{{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1929 Houses completed in 1929 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Buildings and structures in Cheboygan County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Cheboygan County, Michigan

History

Current status and getting there

References

Further reading

External links