Tower Heights Seeing The Light

Heights from base to vent ball

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Lighthouse tower heights in the Western Great Lakes vary from the diminutive 16-foot Dunlap Front Range light to the Mighty Rock of Ages Light, with its vent ball soaring 130 feet above the crib deck. 

For the purpose of this listing, tower height is defined as the distance from the base of the structure to the vent ball, which was a metric used by the Lighthouse Board and Lighthouse Service in a number of their publications. This list was compiled from a number of sources, with each entry annotated as to its source document, a list of which appear at the bottom of this page. If you feel you have any additions or corrections to this list, please feel free to email me. 

Towers with heights above 100 feet

130’ - Rock of Ages6
124’ - White Shoal10
111’ – Twin River Point9

109’ - Presque Isle6
107’ - Big Sable6
107’ - Little Sable6


Towers with heights between 80 and 99 feet

99’ - South Manitou6
99’ - Grosse Point3
98’ - Sturgeon Bay Canal6
91’ - Sand Hills7
88’ - Vidal Shoals Channel Rear6
86’ - Au Sable6

86’ - Outer Island6
86’ - Cana Island6
85’ - Fort Gratiot6
85’ - Pointe aux Barques6
80’ - Spectacle Reef6
80’ - Devils Island6


Towers with heights from 60  to 79 feet

78’ – Detour6
78’ - Whitefish Point9
78’ - Stannard Rock6
78’ – Manitou6
77’ - Grays Reef13
77’ - Cheboygan River Rear Range6
77’ - Seul Choix Pointe6
76’ - Middle Island6
75’ - St. Martin Island6
71’ - Sturgeon Point6
70’ - Minneapolis Shoal14
70’ - Poverty Island6
67’ - Tawas Point6
67’ - Duluth Rear6
67’ - Frankfort North Breakwater10
66’ - Chicago Harbor6
66’ - Racine Reef6
65‘ - LaPointe6

65’ - Rock Harbor1
65’ - North Manitou6
65’ - Plum Island Range Rear6
64’ - Big Bay Point6
64’ - Cedar River6
63’ - Detour Reef14
63’ - North Manitou Shoal14
63’ - St. Helena3
63’ - Waugoshance3
62’ - Thunder Bay Island6
62’ - Point Iroquois6
62’ - Grand Marais (MI) Rear6
62’ - Ludington South Pierhead6
61’ - Isle Royale6
60’ - Port Austin Reef6
60’ - Grand Island Harbor Rear6
60’ - Frankfort Pierhead Rear6

Towers with heights from 50  to 59 feet

59’ - Port Sanilac6
59’ - Saginaw River Rear Range6
59’ - Lansing Shoal9
58’ - Ashland Breakwater
58’ - Crisp Point6
58’ - Ile aux Galets6
57’ - Round Island7
56’ - Poe Reef12
56’ - Old Mackinac Point5
56’ - Charlevoix North Pierhead6
55’ – Southport11
55’ - Munising Front Range6
55’ - Fourteen Mile Point6
54’ - Split Rock6
53’ - Superior Entry South Breakwater6

53’ - St. Joseph Pierhead Rear6
53’ - Milwaukee Breakwater9
53’ - Squaw Island6
52’ - Martin Reef14
52’ - Forty Mile Point6
52’ - Baileys Harbor6
51’ - Portage River6
51’ - Michigan Islan6d
51’ - Grand Haven Pierhead Rear6
50’ - Harbor Beach6
50’ - Cheboygan Main6
50’ - Two Harbors6
50’ - Kenosha6
50’ - Sheboygan Pierhead6

Towers with heights from 40 to 49 feet

49’ - Portage Lake Ship Canals6
49’ - Michigan City East Pierhead6
48’ - Muskegon Pierhead Rear6
48’ - Green Island6
46’ - Beaver Island6
46’ - Kalamazoo6
46’ - St. Joseph Main6
46’ - Racine Pierhead6
45’ - Charity Island6
45’ - Ontonagon6
45’ - Minnesota Point6
45’ - Holland Rear6
45’ - Windmill Point
44’ - Cheboygan River Front Range6
44’ - Bois Blanc6
44’ - Eagle Harbor6
44’ - Passage Island6
44’ - South Fox Island6
44’ - Frankfort Pierhead Front6
44’ - Manistee Main6
44’ - Sand Point6
43’ - Grand Marais (MI) Front6
43’ - Raspberry Island6

43’ - Grand Marais (MN)7
43’ - Kewaunee Pierhead9
43’ - Eagle Bluff6
42’ - Mendota6
42’ - Gull Rock6
42’ - Copper Harbor6
42’ - Sand Island6
42’ - Chambers Island6
41’ - Vidal Shoals Channel Front6
41’ - Beaver Island Harbor6
41’ - Little Traverse6
41’ - Grand Traverse6
41’ - Milwaukee South Pierhead6
41’ - North Point6
41’ - Port Washington Pierhead6
41’ - Pilot Island6
41’ - Pottawatomie6
40’ - Round Island
6
40’ - Granite Island
6
40’ - Chequamegon Point
6
40’ - Michigan City1
40’ - Calumet Harbor
6

Towers with heights from 30 to 39 feet

39’ - Grand Island6
39’ - Marquette6
39’ - Manistee Pierhead6
39’ - Sturgeon Bay Canal Pierhead6
38’ - McGulpin Point3
38’ - White River6
38’ - Point Peninsula6
38’ - Dunlap Reef rear6
37’ - Sand Point6
37’ - Duluth North Pier6
37’ - Point Betsie6
37’ - Portage Lake Rear6
37’ - Manitowoc Breakwater9
36’ - Fourteen Foot Shoal12
36’ - Saginaw River Front Range6
36’ - Marquette Breakwater6
36’ - Mission Point6
36’ - Grand Haven Pierhead Front6

36’ - Tail Point
6
36’ - Racine Pierhead11
35’ - Manistique East Breakwater14
35’ - Duluth Front
6
35’ - South Haven Pierhead
6
35’ - Waukegan Harbor
6
35’ - Two Rivers Pierhead5
35’ - Algoma Pierhead5

35’ - Sherwood Point6
35’ - Little Fort11
34’ - Alpena6
34’ - Huron Island6
34’ - Copper Harbor Rear6
34’ - Petoskey Pierhead6
34’ - Port DU Morts11
34’ - Menominee Pierhead
6
34’ - Sheboygan11
34’ - Manitowoc11
33’ - Cheboygan Crib
6
33’ - Pipe Island
6
33’ - Ontonagon Pierhead
6
33’ - Two Harbors Breakwater
6
33’ - Grassy Island Upper
6
31’ - Munising Rear Range
6
31’ - Pentwater Pierhead Rear
6
31’ - White River Pierhead
6
30’ - Round Island11
30’ – Mamajuda1
30’ - Grassy Island1
30’ - Presque Isle Rear
6
30’ - Grand Island Harbor2
30’ - St. Joseph Pierhead Front
6
30’ - Baileys Harbor Rear
6
30’ - Muskegon Main11

Towers with heights of less than 30 feet

29’ - Frankfort South Pierhead6
28’ - Au Sable Pierhead6
28’ - Muskegon Pierhead Front6
27’ - Holland Front6
27’ - Plum Island Range Front6
26’ - Grand Haven North Pierhead6
26’ - Grassy Island Lower6
25’ - Portage River Pierhead6
25’ - New Buffalo1
24’ - Grand Island Harbor Front6
24’ - Eagle River2
24’ - Ludington North Breakwater6

24’ - Ludington South Breakwater6
22’ - Grand River Main1
22’ - Port Clinton1
22’ - Taylorsport1
21’ - Presque Isle Front6
21’ - Copper Harbor Front6
21’ - Baileys Harbor Front6
19’ - Pentwater Pierhead Front6
18’ - Frying Pan Island6
17’ - Portage Lake Front6
16’ - Dunlap Reef Front6

Sources

1  - 1857 Light List
2
  - 1871 Great Lakes Light List
3  - 1878 Great Lakes Light List
4  - 1898 Great Lakes Light List
5  - 1909 Station Survey
- 1910 Great Lakes Light List
- 1917 Great Lakes Light List

8  - 1931 Great Lakes Light List
- 1937 Great Lakes Light List
10 - 1940 Great Lakes Light List
11 - 1868 Light List
12 - 1930 description of station
13 - 1934 Lake Carriers Annual Report
14 - Calculated focal plane less crib height

This page last updated 05/18/2008                 Copyright Terry Pepper

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