# Alpena Light

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{{short description|Lighthouse in Michigan, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox lighthouse
  | image = Lighthouse at Alpena MI 2005-09.jpeg
  | location = End of N breakwater at Thunder Bay River mouth, 150 ft. from shore, [Alpena, Michigan](/source/Alpena%2C_Michigan)
  | coordinates = {{coord|45|3|37.5|N|83|25|22.44|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
  | yearbuilt = 1914
  | yearlit = 1914
  | foundation = [Breakwater](/source/Breakwater_(structure))<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.michiganlighthouse.org/lighthouse_detail.php.htm |title=Michigan Lighthouse fund, Alpena Light. |access-date=2008-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106195709/http://www.michiganlighthouse.org/lighthouse_detail.php.htm |archive-date=2009-01-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
  | construction = [Cast iron](/source/Cast_iron)<ref name="michiganlights.com">[http://www.michiganlights.com/alpenalh.htm Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, Alpena Pier Light.]</ref>
  | shape = four-legged [pyramid](/source/pyramid) [skeleton](/source/skeleton) tower
  | marking = Red [Daymark](/source/Daymark) with upper part enclosed
  | height = {{convert|34|ft|m}}<ref name="heights">Database, {{cite web|url=http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/index.htm |author=Pepper, Terry |title=''Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes'' |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080130074143/http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/index.htm |archive-date=2008-01-30 }}</ref>
  |  focalheight = {{convert|42|ft|m}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/lists/focalheight.htm |author=Pepper, Terry |work=Seeing the Light |title=Database of Focal Heights |publisher=terrypepper.com |access-date=2009-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830100452/http://www.terrypepper.com/Lights/lists/focalheight.htm |archive-date=2008-08-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
  | lens = Fourth order [Fresnel lens](/source/Fresnel_lens) (original), {{convert|250|mm|order=flip|adj=on}} [Tideland Signal](/source/Tideland_Signal) [acrylic](/source/Polymethyl_methacrylate) optic<ref name="PepperAlpena">[http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/huron/alpena/index.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Alpena Breakwater Light.]</ref><ref>''But see'', claimed "190 mm plastic optic."  [http://www.us-lighthouses.com/displaypage.php?LightID=203 U.S. Lighthouses, Alpena Light.]</ref> (current)
  | range = {{convert|12|nmi}}
  | characteristic = Fl R 5 secs
  | fogsignal = HORN: 1 blast ev 15s (2s bl). Operates May 1 to Oct. 20.<ref name="navcen.uscg.gov">{{cite uscgll|7||}}</ref>
  | module = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed        = yes
| name         = Alpena Light
| architect    = US Lighthouse Service
| added        = March 29, 2006
| area         = less than one acre
| mpsub        = Light Stations of the United States MPS
| refnum       = 06000197<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>
}}}}

The '''Alpena Light''', also known as the '''Thunder Bay River Lighthouse'''<ref name="NOAA">[http://www.thunderbay.noaa.gov/history/lighthouses.html#thunderbayriver Thunderbay National Marine Sanctuary, Thunder Bay River Lighthouse.]</ref> or '''Alpena Breakwater Light''',<ref name="PepperAlpena"/> is a [lighthouse](/source/lighthouse) on [Lake Huron](/source/Lake_Huron) near [Alpena](/source/Alpena%2C_Michigan), [Michigan](/source/Michigan).<ref>[http://wlol.arlhs.com/lighthouse/USA007.html Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, Alpena (Lake Huron) Light ARLHS USA-007.]</ref><ref>[http://wlol.arlhs.com/ Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, World List of Lights (WLOL).]</ref> Standing on the north [breakwater](/source/breakwater_(structure)) of Alpena Harbor, the light marks the entrance to the [Thunder Bay River](/source/Thunder_Bay_River) from [Thunder Bay](/source/Thunder_Bay_(Michigan)).<ref name="PepperAlpena"/>  The current lighthouse, built in 1914, replaced earlier wooden structures which had been in use since 1877 and 1888.<ref name="CMU">[http://clarke.cmich.edu/lighthouses/lhtime1.htm Beacons in the Night: Michigan Lighthouse Chronology], Clarke Historical Library, [Central Michigan University](/source/Central_Michigan_University).</ref>  The current light is a weather-protected structure on a [steel](/source/steel) frame.  It was added to the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places) in 2006, and the state inventory list the same year.<ref name="Heritage">[National Park Service](/source/National_Park_Service), [https://web.archive.org/web/20070704155328/http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/light/alpena.htm Maritime Heritage Program, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Michigan Lighthouses, Alpena Light].</ref>

==History and description==
The history of the Alpena Lights closely follows the history of the local [timber](/source/timber) industry.  Shipping in and out of the Thunder Bay River has historically concentrated on logs, cut [lumber](/source/lumber), and rolls of [paper](/source/paper) and [newsprint](/source/newsprint).  The first petition for a lighthouse at the mouth of the Thunder Bay River, from a consortium of men active in the local lumber industry, came in 1857.  Other pleas followed.<ref name="PepperAlpena"/>

Congress partly responded to these appeals in 1867 with an appropriation of $10,000 to build a light at nearby Trowbridge Point.  After further appeals directly to the [United States Lighthouse Board](/source/United_States_Lighthouse_Board), the Board advised Congress to move the location of the prospective light to the mouth of the Thunder Bay River.  This recommendation was a key element in the final location of the Alpena Light.  Congress approved the recommendation in 1868.<ref name="PepperAlpena"/>

===First and second lights===
In August 1875, the first Alpena Light was established as a temporary {{convert|25|ft|adj=on}}-tall "pole light" approximately ten miles off shore.<ref name="Heritage" /><ref>[http://www.lighthousecentral.com/lighthouse_gallery.php4?lighthouse=Alpena%20Light Lighthouse Central, Alpena Light Photographs, History and Directions, ''The Ultimate Guide to East Michigan Lighthouses'' by Jerry Roach] (Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC - July 2006).] {{ISBN|0-9747977-1-5}}.</ref>

thumb|left|The 1877 light before being destroyed by fire
In 1877, a second light was built from a timber design of Major [Godfrey Weitzel](/source/Godfrey_Weitzel).  It was a brown wooden [pyramid](/source/pyramid_(geometry))al tower, complete with a Sixth Order [Fresnel lens](/source/Fresnel_lens).<ref name="PepperAlpena"/>  In July 1888 it burned with much of the town.<ref name="Heritage" />  After it burnt, keeper E.G. Howard—who had managed to save the [keeper's](/source/lighthouse_keeper) house from the conflagration—again put up a temporary pole with a light.<ref name="PepperAlpena"/>  The original fog bell from the "1870 light" [sic] is on display at the Huron Lights Museum north of town.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.huronlights.com/new_store/museum.php |title=Huron Lights museum. |access-date=2009-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411212535/http://www.huronlights.com/new_store/museum.php |archive-date=2009-04-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Current (third) light===
[[File:Alpena lighthouse -b.JPG|thumb|right|The rebuilt 1914 light on its original [crib](/source/Crib_lighthouse) base]]
The current Alpena Light (1914), the third light of that name,<ref name="CMU"/><ref name="USCGlist">{{cite uscghist|MI}}</ref> is thought to be the only lighthouse of this type in the U.S.<ref name="Alpena County Tourist Bureau">{{Cite web |url=http://www.alpenacvb.com/the-alpena-light-36/ |title=Alpena County Tourist Bureau. |access-date=2008-08-18 |archive-date=2008-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080817231807/http://www.alpenacvb.com/the-alpena-light-36/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Russ Rowlett, who maintains the online Lighthouse Directory, flatly states that: "this tower is the only surviving example of its design."<ref name="Rowlett">{{cite rowlett|miel}}</ref>  However, the structure of this light is similar in concept to [Lake Superior](/source/Lake_Superior)'s [Chequamegon Point Light](/source/Chequamegon_Point_Light).<ref name="Wobser">[http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Superior/chequamegonpoint.htm Wobser, David, Chequamegon Point Light, from an article that originally appeared in Great Laker Magazine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091031073932/http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Superior/chequamegonpoint.htm |date=2009-10-31 }} at [Boatnerd](/source/Boatnerd).</ref>  There are also skeletal towers of various other designs in the western [Great Lakes](/source/Great_Lakes).<ref>See, [http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/lists/towertype.htm List of Tower Types, Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091115110949/http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/lists/towertype.htm |date=2009-11-15 }}</ref>

Originally painted black, its [daymark](/source/daymark) function was enhanced in 1950 by painting it bright red.<ref name="michiganlights.com" />

The current lens was installed circa 1996.<ref name="Heritage" />  The original Fresnel lens is presently located at the [Grand Traverse Lighthouse](/source/Grand_Traverse_Lighthouse).<ref name="friends">[http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=177 Anderson, Kraig, Lighthouse Friends, Alpena Harbor Lighthouse.]</ref>

From 1878 to 1965 there were five [lighthouse keeper](/source/lighthouse_keeper)s at this location.<ref>[http://www.terrypepper.com/Lights/huron/alpena/keepers.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, List of Alpena keepers.]</ref>

The Alpena Light [fog horn](/source/fog_horn) has gone through different iterations.  In 1891, there was a fog bell with an automated striking mechanism, which was upgraded in 1920 to an electric alarm, and in 1932 to the current modern automated fog horn.<ref name="Heritage" />

The Alpena Light onshore complex once included a brick oil storage building, built in 1896; it was removed after the light's electrification.  The light was automated in 1974.<ref name="friends"/>

The current Alpena Light is {{convert|34|ft}} tall; references in some sources to this light being "{{convert|80|ft}} tall" are factually incorrect.<ref name="Alpena County Tourist Bureau"/><ref>''See also'' [http://www.michiganlights.com/alpenalh.htm Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, Alpena Pier Light.]</ref>  ''Compare'' the U.S. Coast Guard Light List,<ref name="navcen.uscg.gov"/> the Terry Pepper Seeing the Light database of heights,<ref name="heights"/> and the Lighthouse Directory.<ref name="Rowlett"/>

==Getting there==
The Alpena Light is best viewed from the transient [docks](/source/Dock_(maritime)) at the City of Alpena’s [marina](/source/marina).<ref name="Alpena County Tourist Bureau"/> It has been variously called "[Sputnik](/source/Sputnik)"<ref name="USCGlist"/> and "Little Red" by locals.  Others are dismissive, opining that it is "Long on duty, short on beauty."<ref name="Alpena County Tourist Bureau" />  Another colorful local phrase is, "Don't kick the can."<ref name="NOAA"/> The light marks the Alpena harbor of refuge and is located just east of downtown Alpena.

==The light today==
Over the years, this light has been a source of civic pride, and has been the subject of many postcards.<ref>[http://www.michiganlights.com/alpenalh.htm Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, Alpena Lighthouse, postcard views.]</ref>  The Great Lakes lighthouse festival is centered in Alpena in the second weekend of each October, and this light was used in 1999 as a pictorial cancellation of stamps celebrating the event.<ref>[http://www.lighthousestampsociety.org/cancels/us10-10-99.jpg Alpena Light cancellation.]</ref>  Passing [freighters](/source/cargo_ship) in the river come very close to the light.<ref>[http://boatnerd.com/news/newpictures02/algorailb6-3-02-bcm.jpg Picture, ship passing Alpena Light] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708074936/http://boatnerd.com/news/newpictures02/algorailb6-3-02-bcm.jpg |date=2011-07-08 }} at [Boatnerd](/source/Boatnerd).</ref>

As of 2010, the Alpena Light is an active [aid to navigation](/source/aid_to_navigation).<ref name="navcen.uscg.gov" />

In June 2011, the [General Services Administration](/source/General_Services_Administration) made the Alpena Light (along with 11 others) available at no cost to public organizations willing to preserve them.<ref>{{cite news|title=For sale: Waterfront property; cozy, great views, plenty of light, needs TLC|url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/12/for-sale-waterfront-property-cozy-great-views-plenty-of-light-needs-tlc/?hpt=hp_t2|access-date=12 July 2011|newspaper=CNN|archive-date=15 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715183812/http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/12/for-sale-waterfront-property-cozy-great-views-plenty-of-light-needs-tlc/?hpt=hp_t2|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Beatty|first=MaryAnne|title=GSA Making 12 Historic Lighthouses Available at No Cost to Public Organizations Willing to Preserve Them|url=http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/286133|work=GSA Website|publisher=US General Services Administration|access-date=12 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622054934/http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/286133|archive-date=22 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Replica==
A scaled down [replica](/source/replica) of this light was built on [Lake Havasu](/source/Lake_Havasu) at [Lake Havasu City](/source/Lake_Havasu_City%2C_Arizona), [Arizona](/source/Arizona).<ref name="havasu">[http://www.lh-lighthouseclub.org/lights_001_034.htm Photo of Lake Havasu Alpena Light replica.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114043454/http://www.lh-lighthouseclub.org/lights_001_034.htm |date=2016-01-14 }}</ref>  The replica is in [Mohave County, Arizona](/source/Mohave_County%2C_Arizona), was sponsored by the County Board of Supervisors, and was built by members of the [http://www.lh-lighthouseclub.org/ Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club].  It was dedicated on November 5, 2006, and is at GPS:3 4° 26.99' N - 114° 22.38' W.  It is on the western tip of Havasu Island,<ref>{{cite rowlett|az}} under Alpena Replica</ref> and has a red light that flashes sixty times per minute.<ref name="havasu"/>

==See also==
*[List of lighthouses in the United States](/source/List_of_lighthouses_in_the_United_States)
*[Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary](/source/Thunder_Bay_National_Marine_Sanctuary)

==References==
{{reflist|33em}}

==Further reading==
*[http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/huron/alpena/index.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Alpena Breakwater Light.]
* [Detroit News](/source/Detroit_News), [http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/SPECIAL01/80519001 Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses.]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080425092921/http://www.lighthousesrus.org/HuronW.htm Interactive map, list, information for lighthouses in North and West Lake Huron.]
* [http://www.lighthousesrus.org/Maps/mapIt.htm?file=GL/HuronW.xml Interactive map of West Lake Huron, powered by Google.]
* Michigan.gov website has [https://web.archive.org/web/20080114191657/http://www.michigan.gov/documents/hal_mhc_shpo_lightmap_50933_7.pdf Map of Michigan Lighthouses.]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110710212714/http://img1.eyefetch.com/p/po/188424-185c14b5-f21b-4b5d-9fa2-22eb3f42a831l.jpg Photo of Alpena Light and harbor at Eyefetch.com].
* [http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Huron/Alpena.htm Wobser, David, Alpena Light] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711122555/http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Huron/Alpena.htm |date=2011-07-11 }} at [Boatnerd](/source/Boatnerd).

==External links==
{{commons category-inline}}
* [http://unitedstateslighthouses.com/explore-us-lighthouses/midwest-region/1-alpena-lighthouse.html/ Alpena Lighthouse - United States Lighthouses]
* [http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=45.060396,-83.422869&spn=0.001955,0.003369&t=h&z=18&om=1 Satellite view of Alpena Light.] [Google Maps](/source/Google_Maps).

{{Lighthouses of Michigan}}
{{National Register of Historic Places listings in Alpena County, Michigan}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Lighthouses completed in 1875
Category:Lighthouses completed in 1877
Category:Lighthouses completed in 1914
Category:Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
Category:Transportation in Alpena County, Michigan
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Alpena County, Michigan
Category:1875 establishments in Michigan
Light
Category:Lighthouses of Lake Huron

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alpena Light](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpena_Light) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpena_Light?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.