Seeing The Light - Lighthouse Focal Planes

Focal Heights	Seeing The Light

Height from Lake Level to Focal Plane	Home	Back

The Focal planes of US Western Great Lakes lighthouses varied greatly, from the Dunlap Reef Front Range light which shone its light a scant 17 feet above the waters of Sturgeon Bay to the lofty Grand Island lighthouse, with its light thrown from the top of a majestic cliff 205 feet above Lake Superior. For the purpose of this listing, focal plane is defined as the distance from the mean lake level to the optical center of the lens, which was the most common metric used by the Lighthouse Board and Lighthouse Service, and is still used today by the Coast Guard. This list was compiled from a number of sources. Each entry in the list below is related 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.

Lights with focal heights above 200 feet
	205' - Grand Island⁶

Lights with focal heights between 100 and 199 feet
	197’ - Huron Island⁶168’ - Split Rock⁶159’ - Pottawatomie⁶154’ - North Point⁶130’ - Outer Island⁶125’ - White Shoal⁸123’ - Presque Isle⁶119’ - Grosse Point³117’ - Rock of Ages⁶113’ - Twin River Point⁶112’ - Michigan Island⁶	108’ - Little Sable⁶108’ - Big Bay Point⁶107’ - Sturgeon Bay Canal⁶107’ - Au Sable⁶106’ - Big Sable⁶104’ - South Manitou⁶104’ - Munising Rear Range⁶103’ - Beaver Island⁶102’ - Stannard Rock⁶102’ - McGulpin Point³100’ - Devils Island⁶

Lights with focal heights between 80 feet and 99 feet
	99’ - St. Joseph Main⁶98’ - Vidal Shoals Channel Rear⁶97’ – Taylorsport¹93’ - Sand Hills⁸93’ - Granite Island⁶89’ - Pointe aux Barques⁶86’ - Spectacle Reef⁶85’ - Rock Harbor¹84’ - St. Martin Island⁶82’ - Fort Gratiot⁶	82’ - Grays Reef⁹82’ - Minneapolis Shoal⁹81’ - Manitou⁶80’ - Cana Island⁶80’ - Seul Choix Pointe⁶80’ - Poverty Island⁶80’ - Plum Island Range Rear⁶80’ - Port Austin Reef⁶80’ – Sheboygan¹¹

Lights with focal heights from 70 to 79 feet
	79’ - North Manitou Shoal¹⁰78’ - Middle Island⁶78’ - Two Harbors⁶78’ - Passage Island⁶77’ - Munising Front Range⁶77’ - Raspberry Island⁶77’ - Marquette⁶76’ - Whitefish Point⁹76’ – Southport¹¹76’ - Eagle Bluff⁶75’ - Detour⁶75’ - Cheboygan River Rear Range⁶75’ - Isle Royale⁶75’ - Little Fort¹¹	74’ - Detour Reef¹⁰74’ – Waugoshance³72’ - Frankfort North Breakwater¹⁰72’ - Racine Reef⁶72’ - Point Iroquois⁶71’ - St. Helena³71’ - Poe Reef⁸70’ - Tawas Point⁶70’ - LaPointe⁶70’ - North Manitou⁶70’ - Grand Island Harbor Rear⁶70’ - Superior Entry South Breakwater⁶70’ - Grand River Main¹70’ - Port Clinton¹

Lights with focal heights from 60 to 69 feet
	69’ - Sturgeon Point⁶69’ - Duluth Rear⁶69’ - Port Sanilac⁶69’ - Lansing Shoal⁹68’ - Portage River⁶68’ - Chambers Island⁶67’ - Chicago Harbor⁶67’ - Milwaukee Breakwater⁸67’ - South Fox Island⁶66’ - Cedar River⁶66’ - Frankfort Pierhead Rear⁶66’ - Forty Mile Point⁶66’ - Portage Lake Ship Canals⁶	65’ - Ludington South Pierhead⁶65’ - Ashland Breakwater⁸65’ - Martin Reef⁸65’ - Copper Harbor⁶63’ - Manitowoc¹¹ 62’ - Crisp Point⁶62’ - Old Mackinac Point⁸61’ - Saginaw River Rear Range⁶61’ - Charlevoix North Pierhead⁶61’ - Sherwood Point⁶61’ - Eagle River²60’ - Fourteen Mile Point⁶60’ - Michigan City¹

Lights with focal heights from 50 to 59 feet
	59’ - Thunder Bay Island⁶58’ - Ile aux Galets⁶58’ - Eagle Harbor⁶57’ - Squaw Island⁶57’ - Green Island⁶57’ - White River⁶56’ - Sand Island⁶54’ - Grand Marais Harbor of Refuge Rear⁶54’ - Baileys Harbor¹¹54’ - Harbor Beach⁶54’ - Cheboygan Main⁶53’ - Round Island⁶53’ - St. Joseph Pierhead Rear⁶	53’ - Kalamazoo⁶53’ - Bois Blanc⁶52’ - Grand Haven Pierhead Rear⁶52’ - Point Betsie⁶51’ - Fourteen Foot Shoal⁸50’ - Kenosha⁶50’ - Sheboygan Pierhead⁶50’ - Michigan City East Pierhead⁶50’ - Muskegon Pierhead Rear⁶50’ - Minnesota Point²50’ - Gull Rock⁶50’ - Manistique East Breakwater⁸

	Lights with focal heights from 40 feet to 49 feet
	48’ - Pilot Island⁶48’ - Racine Pierhead¹²47’ - Ontonagon⁶47’ - Windmill Point¹²47’ - Grand Traverse⁶46’ - Racine Pierhead⁶46’ - Frankfort Pierhead Front⁶46’ - Duluth North Pier⁶45’ - Charity Island⁶45’ - Holland Rear⁶45’ - Manistee Main⁶45’ - Kewaunee Pierhead⁸45’ - Round Island¹²44’ - Sand Point⁶44’ - Mendota⁶	44’ - Duluth Front⁶43’ - Mission Point⁶42’ - Cheboygan River Front Range⁶42’ - Port Washington Pierhead⁶42’ - Chequamegon Point⁶42’ - Alpena⁶41’ - Vidal Shoals Channel Front⁶41’ - Little Traverse⁶41’ - Milwaukee South Pierhead⁶41’ - Manitowoc Breakwater⁸40’ - Grand Marais Harbor of Refuge Front⁶40’ - Calumet Harbor⁶40’ - Sturgeon Bay Canal Pierhead⁶40’ - Point Peninsula⁶40’ - Marquette Breakwater⁶

	Lights with focal heights from 30 feet to 39 feet
	39’ - Dunlap Reef rear⁶39’ - Sand Point⁶39’ - Copper Harbor Rear⁶38’ - Grand Marais⁷38’ - Beaver Island Harbor⁶38’ - Portage Lake Rear⁶38’ - Tail Point⁶38’ - Port DU Morts¹¹37’ - Round Island⁶37’ - Saginaw River Front Range⁶37’ - South Haven Pierhead⁶37’ - Algoma Pierhead⁸37’ - Pipe Island⁶37’ - Portage River Pierhead⁶36’ - Grand Haven Pierhead Front⁶36’ - Waukegan Harbor⁶36’ - Presque Isle Rear⁶36’ - Baileys Harbor Rear⁶36’ - Muskegon Main¹¹35’ - Two Rivers Pierhead⁶35’ - Cheboygan Crib⁶	35’ – Mamajuda¹35’ - Grassy Island¹35’ - Frankfort South Pierhead⁶34’ - Petoskey Pierhead⁶34’ - Menominee Pierhead⁶34’ - Grassy Island Upper⁶34’ - Grand Island Harbor²34’ - Au Sable Pierhead⁶33’ - Manistee Pierhead⁶33’ - Two Harbors Breakwater⁶33’ - Pentwater Pierhead Rear⁶33’ - White River Pierhead⁶32’ - Plum Island Range Front⁶31’ - Ontonagon Pierhead⁶31’ - St. Joseph Pierhead Front⁶31’ - Muskegon Pierhead Front⁶30’ - Holland Front⁶30’ - Grand Haven North Pierhead⁶30’ - Ludington North Breakwater⁶30’ - Ludington South Breakwater⁶

	Lights with focal heights of less than 30 feet
	27’ - Grassy Island Lower⁶25’ - Pentwater Pierhead Front⁶23’ - Grand Island Harbor Front⁶23’ - Portage Lake Front⁶22’ - Copper Harbor Front⁶	21’ - Baileys Harbor Front⁶19’ - Frying Pan Island⁶18’ - Presque Isle Front⁶17’ - Dunlap Reef Front⁶

	Lights with yet to be determined focal heights
	New Buffalo

	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 6 - 1910 Great Lakes Light List 7 - 1917 Great Lakes Light List	8 - 1931 Great Lakes Light List 9 - 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


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