Thursday, January 10, 2019

STANNARD ROCK LIGHTHOUSE - LAKE SUPERIOR


The Stannard Rock Light, completed in 1883, is a lighthouse located on a reef that was the most serious hazard to navigation on Lake Superior.

The Stannard Rock Light is 24 miles from the nearest land, making it the most distant (from shore) lighthouse in the United States.

The lighthouse was one of the "stag stations"*, manned only by men, and had the nickname "The Loneliest Place in the World".

The lighthouse was automated in 1962 and the United States Coast Guard still maintains it as an active aid to navigation. It is closed to the public and can only be viewed by boat or airplane. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

It took 5 years (1877-1882) to build and it is rated by the National Park Service as one of the top 10 engineering feats in the U.S.


*"Stag light" was an unofficial term given to some isolated lighthouses in the United States Lighthouse Service. It meant stations that were operated solely by men, rather than accommodating keepers and their families.

Editor’s Note: The details of the construction and operation of the Stannard Rock Lighthouse are very interesting. You can read more about the Lighthouse here and here.



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