Since I was the photographer for this week's "Photo of the Week," I'll tell you about this lighthouse photograph. My family and I visited Door County for the first time in August 2000. While we didn't get to visit every one of Door County's beacons, I did want to visit the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal light which Harbour Lights had sculpted.
After picking up a nice booklet on Wisconsin Lighthouses, I realized that a visit to Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal light would net a 2-for-1.
Walking along the very designated path through the US Coast Guard station, one arrives at the 'beach' and a long pier that leads out into Lake Michigan. The North Pier light sits on a parallel breakwater wall. Only the metalwork walkway overhead connects this light with land as it crosses the distance between the two breakwalls here.
The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal North Pierhead Light was first lit on May 15, 1882 by keeper Rufus M. Wright. It only took a few years before a taller more powerful light was needed to guide ships off Lake Michigan to the short-cut canal that by-passed the dreaded "Death's Door" route from Lake Michgan into Green Bay.
The 98' tall Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal began operating in 1899 -- and was entirely rebuilt in 1903 because it wasn't strong enough to stand the lake winds.
