Digest>Archives> March 2001

“Lost Lights” - Portage Lake Ship Canal Light Station 1874

By Donald L. Nelson

Comments?    


You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
Portage Lake North Entry Ship Canal Lighthouse, ...

Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula as we know it today would not exist if not for the discovery of the richest veins of copper in the United States during the 1840’s. Communities sprung up all over the Keweenaw where the many mines were. Getting the processed copper out of the Keweenaw was a problem due to the lack of good harbors.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
The 1920 Portage Lake Lower Entrance Light ...

A lake (Portage Lake), some 17 miles long, was within the peninsula. It had a three-mile twisting, shallow river (Portage River), which traversed into Keweenaw Bay at the south end. This would eventually be dredged and straightened. The communities (later cities) of Houghton and Hancock were midway. They would be the best to ship copper. Crushers and smelters, located conveniently near many mines, converted the ore to ingots. The upper and lower entries to Portage Lake would have to be opened to enable access.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
The 1920 Portage Lake Lower Entrance Light (r) ...

It was envisioned and later proved, that this waterway, midway along the length of Lake Superior, would be a wood fuel stop for vessels with steam engines and an excellent refuge when the Lake became violent. It was also shorter in miles and time than going around the Keweenaw Peninsula that juts out over halfway across the lake.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
Portage Lake Ship Canal Lighthouse as it appeared ...

In 1860, a corporation of private investors was formed to dig a two-and-a-quarter mile channel through a sand and tamarack swamp open to Lake Superior on the north end of Portage Lake. In 1861, the 2-1/4 mile long, 100-foot wide and 12-foot deep canal was completed. The corporation was to charge tolls to regain the investment of $1,250,000.00 (that’s around $22.5 million in 2001 dollars). Toll money collected was devoured by problems and upkeep. Due to this and political and legal problems, not a cent was ever recovered, bankrupting those involved.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
The Portage Lake Pier Head Light. The lighthouse ...

The government constructed two break walls of rock, angled to the shoreline and two wood piers inside to the entrance of the channel (or canal). Temporary lights were installed at the outer ends. Due to the currents and wave action of Lake Superior, this canal always would be subject to sand and silt affecting its depth and the formation of sand bars. The natural flow of water through the ship canal was north to south, so dredging would be ongoing at the upper entry. Proper length and placement of break walls would help control this and prevent the formation of sand bars. After years of transfers, wrangling, and legal maneuvering, full operation and maintenance of the waterway was taken over by the government (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). In1891, tolls were eliminated. The lower south entrance was opened and already had a lighthouse as well as the Huron Islands, Manitou Island, Copper Harbor and Eagle Harbor. The north canal entry would require a first class light station.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
One of the Portage Lake lighthouses which no ...

In 1874, a large two-story, two-keeper brick dwelling was built with an attached 43-foot high square brick tower. The tower lantern room housed a 3-1/2 order fixed Fresnel lens.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
The Portage River (Jacobsville) Lighthouse, built ...

Peter Malone became the first keeper in 1875 when the station was activated. He resigned after two years and his brother John took over. He lasted two years and transferred, replaced by William Stevens, who transferred in from the Isle Royal Light n Menagerie Island. Four keepers followed, lasting only a short time. This station was very isolated and lonely until the fog signal system was activated and three keepers were assigned. One might as well be on an isolated island, as only a very crude road existed to the nearest community miles away. The constant vessel traffic going by was the only sign of civilization.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
The Portage Lake Lower Entrance (a/k/a Keweenaw ...

The east and west break walls had fixed red lights on 32-foot skeleton towers, as did the east pier head. The west pier head to the canal had a 34-foot high tower with a fixed red 6th order lens on an open frame base. Directly behind this tower was the fog signal building with a 10-inch coal-fired steam whistle in dual, accessible by a catwalk above the pier.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
This temporary beacon served as the North Entry ...
Photo by: Don Nelson

This all caused a maze of lights, four red, and one white from the main lighthouse above and to the west of the entrance. Fortunately, the pier lights were of the five-day style lamps. Still, the keeper had to routinely row the station boat to these lights to clean and refuel them, besides observing them periodically at night to see that they were functioning. It wasn’t unusual to have one of these lanterns fail during the night, forcing the keeper to go out and correct the problem. After all, that was his job. The main light had an IOV with only daily care required.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Woodrush W407 breaking ...
Photo by: Don Nelson

One can only imagine what a ship captain saw as he headed in from the big lake. At night, vessel captains had to head southeast, straight in from the Lake between the red lights 100 feet apart. The channel had a navigational depth of only about 60 feet wide, so it was a challenge, any deviation meant trouble. In high cross winds or poor visibility, it could be disastrous. You only had one try. You risked grounding or hitting one of the piers. A tugboat was regularly available for any mishap that may occur.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
Metal roof from the oil house at the former ...
Photo by: Don Nelson

None of these lights were to act as range lights. Bringing a vessel into the 100-foot wide canal in inclement weather would be a challenge to any vessel captain. The comment was, “it was like threading a needle.” Numerous vessels ended up on the beach or sand bars on the wrong side of the rock break walls, or hit the piers on the inside. These problems helped encourage the government to build a life saving station across the channel.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
The Portage North Canal Coast Guard Station was ...
Photo by: Don Nelson

Three keepers at the station maintained the lights and fog signal. The station consisted of the two-keeper dwelling, assistant keepers house, oil house, two privies, a barn (later a garage), boathouse and fog signal house and system.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
The living quarters built in the latter 1930’s ...
Photo by: Don Nelson

Across the canal from the lighthouse was the life saving station, built in 1885. This was the fifth station built on Lake Superior. The first four were the famed stations west of Whitefish Point on the shipwreck coast. The Portage Canal Life Saving Station would go down in history for many famous rescues. This station, along with the Eagle Harbor Station (opened 1912), was the only station where every member of both crews would receive the Gold Life-Saving Medal for heroism during one rescue. This occurred by rescuing the crew of the L.C. Waldo shipwreck near Gull Rock Lighthouse at the tip of the Keweenaw Point on November 8, 1913. The Portage Life Saving Station would be removed in 1935 and a new station was built a few hundred yards inside the entrance on the canal when widening of the canal took place.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
Former fog signal building from Portage North ...
Photo by: Don Nelson

In the mid-1920’s, the fog signal building was moved to shore, up on the bank, just to the north of the main lighthouse and was changed to compressed air diaphones. The west pier light was also removed from the pier and replaced with a light on a skeleton tower.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
The old North Canal Light Station barn/garage ...
Photo by: Don Nelson

A harbor of refuge and dock, locally known as Lily Pond, was constructed by widening an area one mile in from the entrance with docking for vessels during storms on the big lake. A like refuge was also built at the Lower Entry. In the early days of shipping on the lakes, it was not uncommon for these refuges and Portage Lake to be filled with vessels waiting out a storm

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
The concrete legs and control panel that the ...
Photo by: Don Nelson

The ship canal light station remained much the same until 1934 when it was determined that the canal would have to be widened and deepened to accommodate larger vessels and improve entry. In 1935 the inner piers were removed and demolition of the lighthouse was begun. The canal would be widened to 500 feet at the entrance, tapering to 300 feet at the entrance to Portage Lake, with 25-foot minimum depths. By 1926 nothing remained of the original light station. The lighthouse was demolished with the bricks dumped on private land (still remaining) a mile or so from the original site. Even the ground it sat on had been removed to accommodate the widened canal.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
The new Portage North Canal Entrance Lighthouse ...
Photo by: Don Nelson

The assistant keeper’s house was also torn down. The garage was moved and remodeled to house keepers only and not their families, until the new triplex keepers dwelling was built. When this dwelling was completed, the former converted garage was sold and again moved to a new location and still stands today as a privately owned cottage. The fog signal building was also sold and moved a mile back. Over the years it served as a store, a bar, and today is used for private storage.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
The concrete slab that the 1935-1950 temporary ...
Photo by: Don Nelson

A replacement aero-beacon light on a tower was placed atop a new small cement building on a hill on the west side of the widened canal. This building housed the air compressors for the diaphone fog horns along with a generator. This was not intended as a permanent replacement. New quarters were built to accommodate the three keepers and their families. Another building was constructed to house a workshop, garage, watch-standing, and radio beacon equipment.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
An artist’s depiction from an antique postcard of ...

In 1949 preparation began for a new 82-foot high, modern steel lighthouse to be built on a cylindrical crib on the east side at the end of a rebuilt rock-rubble break wall. A modern optic showed a green flash (the west break wall has a flashing red light on a pole). It was completed in 1950 and was operated remotely by keepers. It also housed the new trumpet type air fog signal system. This tower is fully electrified. In the 1970’s, it was automated and a radio beacon was installed. The Coast Guard keepers were reassigned. A few years later the keeper’s quarters, other buildings and property were sold to a private party. Today the automated light remains that way. The Coast Guard station was abandoned in 1991 and temporarily placed at Hancock just to the west of the Houghton/Hancock Bridge. The bridge provides the only access to the Keweenaw Peninsula, which is technically an island. A new modern Coast Guard station was built at Dollar Bay, east of the bridge in 1997.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
Portage North Canal Light Station showing the ...
Photo by: William Small

The North Entry, which once was a lively area with a manned light and Coast Guard station, now is inactive except for the modern automated crib light, fog horn and radio beacon. McLain State Park encompasses many acres on the east side near the canal entrance. The west side has a small park, with the balance of the area being private homes or property.

Another era of maritime history is now gone. Today the down-sized lake freighter fleet seldom uses the once-busy Keweenaw Waterway. The modern, large 850-foot plus freighters cannot navigate the waterway, and with modern equipment and advanced sea-worthiness, there is little need for refuge. The mines no longer operate, so shipping from the Keweenaw no longer exists.

Today, pleasure craft, the Isle Royale National Park vessel Ranger III, an occasional freighter and an excursion vessel only use the canal. Maybe, one day, the Houghton/Hancock area will return as a stopover to passenger ships, this is being contemplated. In the past, passenger ships were regular visitors. The 1874 lighthouse is gone with few people left who even remember its existence.

This story appeared in the March 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

All contents copyright © 1995-2024 by Lighthouse Digest®, Inc. No story, photograph, or any other item on this website may be reprinted or reproduced without the express permission of Lighthouse Digest. For contact information, click here.


Subscribe
to Lighthouse Digest



USLHS Marker Fund


Lighthouse History
Research Institute


Shop Online












Subscribe   Contact Us   About Us   Copyright Foghorn Publishing, 1994- 2024   Lighthouse Facts     Lighthouse History