The Detroit River Light, also known as Bar Point Shoal Light, was first established as a lightship in 1875. The current

sparkplug lighthouse A caisson lighthouse (also referred to as a sparkplug lighthouse, or bug light) is a type of lighthouse whose superstructure rests on a concrete or metal caisson. Caisson lighthouses were developed in the late nineteenth century as a cheaper alter ...

was built in 1885. It sits in Lake Erie, south of the mouth of the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Detro ...

, from land and about from the

Ambassador Bridge The Ambassador Bridge is a tolled international suspension bridge across the Detroit River that connects Detroit, Michigan, United States, with Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1929, it is the busiest international border crossing in North ...

in the Detroit River. It is about from the border with Canada,NOAA Chart 14848 Detroit River Michigan Extension and just under from

Put-in-Bay, Ohio Put-in-Bay is a village located on South Bass Island in Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio, United States, east of Toledo. The population was 154 at the 2020 census. The village is a popular summer resort and recreational destinati ...

. Its original 4th 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 ...

is on loan to the Michigan Maritime Museum.

Construction and infrastructure

The Detroit River Light replaced a Canadian lightship that had been posted in this channel location since 1875, guiding upbound vessels making a turn in the Detroit River. The

United States Lighthouse Board The United States Lighthouse Board was the second agency of the U.S. federal government, under the Department of Treasury, responsible for the construction and maintenance of all lighthouses and navigation aids in the United States, between 18 ...

completed the Detroit River Light in 1885 at a cost of $78,000. The light was first lit on August 20, 1885.Wobser, David, Bar Point Shoal Lighthouse at

Boatnerd The boatnerd corporation, a registered not for profit corporation, circulates information about vessels that ply the North American Great Lakes. When Acheson Ventures provided space for a headquarters for the organization in their Maritime Center ...

The crib was transported to the site from Amherstburg, Ontario. It was built pre-fabricated , sunk in of water, filled with concrete and surrounded by a

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

pier Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...

. The light station pier is shaped like a vessel. Its pointed end is directed toward the mouth of the river to break river-powered ice floes. Above the crib and pier, the high

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

boiler plate tower is in diameter at its base and at the top. There is an attached storage building and radio beacon.

Challenges in construction

Construction was eventful and problematic. When the crib settled, it was uneven, about off level. As winter was approaching and work set to stop, 550 short tons of stone were loaded onto the pier, "mostly on the high side." Upon the crews return the following spring, gravity and ice floes had made the granite pier level.Harbour Lights, Detroit River Lighthouse
/ref>Greenwood, Tom, ''Detroit River Light'' (September, 1998)
Lighthouse Digest.

Operational history

Detroit River Light was constructed to be a manned lighthouse. Coast Guardsmen assigned to this close-but-eerily-isolated station used to refer to it as " The Rock." The light is now automated. With

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...

the light served as a rendezvous point for

rum runners Rum-running or bootlegging is the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. Smuggling usually takes place to circumvent taxation or prohibition laws within a particular jurisdiction. The ...

. The nearby city of

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

was a noted point for the distillation of Canadian whiskey, much of which was exported to the U.S.

The light today

In December 1997 the freighter struck the station dead on (a "direct hit"Roach, Jerry, Lighthouse Central, Detroit River Lighthouse Photographs, History and Directions, ''The Ultimate Guide to East Michigan Lighthouses''
(Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC - July 2006). ; .) as it sailed down bound for Lake Erie. The station suffered minimal damage to rock and stone foundation. The freighter had its steel bow pushed "in like a

tin can A steel can, tin can, tin (especially in British English, Australian English, Canadian English and South African English), steel packaging, or can is a container for the distribution or storage of goods, made of thin metal. Many cans ...

" with a gash.Photo of damage to S.S. Buffalo
at

The lens has been changed several times, and this has altered the characteristic signal generated by the light to passing boats and ships. The present lens has six panels of 60 degrees, with three bull's-eye panels each separated from the other by a 60 degree blind panel. The station contains a fog signal, similar to Harbor Beach Light (also built in 1885). The station is 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 ...

, is closed to visitors, and visible only from a boat. A good launch point is the south end of the island of Grosse Ile, Michigan.Anderson, Kraig, Lighthouse Friends, Detroit River Lighthouse.
/ref> It was 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 ...

as Detroit River Light Station on August 4, 1983, reference number 83000886. The light has been memorialized in sculptures.

Keepers

*Charles Northup (1885–1886 and 1893–1898) *Richard Oddrey (1887–1890) *Joseph Crawford (1898–1902) *Enoch Scribner (1902–1912) *Horace Watts (1912–1916) *Walter Marshall (1916–1919) *Harry K Condway (1919–1921) *John Sweet (1926–1933) *William Small (1933–1938) *Eli Martin (1938–1939)

References

External links

Aerial photo of Detroit River Lighthouse at marinas.com.Satellite view of Detroit River (Bar Point Shoal) Lighthouse at

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

. * Colchester Reef Light (Lake Erie, West) {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1884 Houses completed in 1884 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites Buildings and structures in Monroe County, Michigan Transportation in Monroe County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Monroe County, Michigan 1884 establishments in Michigan