Name and Location

The Eagle Harbor Light, also known simply as the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse, is a historic beacon located at 670 Lighthouse Road, Eagle Harbor Township, Keweenaw County, Michigan, USA (coordinates: 47°27′34.71″ N, 88°09′33.41″ W). The map link is https://www.google.com/maps?q=47.4596418,-88.1592812.

2. Construction and History

The Eagle Harbor Light has guided vessels into Eagle Harbor on Lake Superior's Keweenaw Peninsula since the mid-19th century. The first light was established in 1851, but the present brick tower and keeper's dwelling were completed in 1871 to replace the original timber structure. The lantern room was updated in 1893. The lighthouse was automated by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1918 and remains active today. Deeded to local authorities and leased to the Keweenaw County Historical Society (now Eagle Harbor Lighthouse Friends) in the 1980s.

3. Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse features a mid-Victorian functional style, combining a one-and-a-half-story, board-and-batten wood keeper's house with an integral brick tower at one end. The tower height is 34 feet (10.4 meters) above its base, while the focal plane is 40 feet (12.2 meters) above lake level. The materials used include brick for the tower, wood-frame dwelling clad in vertical board-and-batten, and cast-iron lantern.

4. Light and Navigation

The lighthouse has a characteristic flashing white every six seconds (Fl W 6s). Its range is 8 nautical miles. Originally, it featured a sixth-order Fresnel lens; currently, it uses a modern acrylic beacon. Chart reference: NOAA Chart 14920 (Duluth-Copper Harbor approaches). The aids to navigation include the light only; there are no radar or AIS colocated.

5. Accessibility and Visiting

The grounds are open year-round, with no admission fee to view the exterior. The museum, featuring the keeper's house and tower interiors, is open seasonally (late May-mid-September) daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guided interior tours are offered on weekends during high season. Facilities include small interpretive displays in the former oil house; restrooms are available seasonally. Access: Drive via Lighthouse Road off US 41, and park in the designated lot.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

The lighthouse sits on a low bluff on the harbor's north shore, overlooking the steel-tonnage waterway of Eagle Harbor and its busy boat launch. Panoramic views of Lake Superior, the rugged Lake Superior shoreline, and mixed conifer forest are available. Nearby attractions include the Eagle Harbor School (now a museum), Copper Harbor Road-US 41 scenic drive, and Fort Wilkins Historic State Park (5 miles east).

7. Anecdotes and Folklore

Local lore holds that Keeper Cyrenus Shoemaker, who served here from 1897 to 1910, was so dedicated he once rowed out to a storm-bound wreck despite gale-force winds.

8. Technical and Operational Details

Not applicable in this section.

9. Further Information

• "Eagle Harbor Lighthouse," LighthouseFriends.com: https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=224
• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Harbor_Light
• National Register nomination form (1984): https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/84001745
• U.S. Coast Guard Light List, Vol. VII (Great Lakes)