The active Gull Rock Light Station on Lake Superior

The Gull Rock Light Station is an active lighthouse located on Gull Rock, just west of Manitou Island, off the tip of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula in Lake Superior. The light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The station serves as a navigational aid, despite being on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List due to erosion and wave action.

In 1866, Congress appropriated $15,000 for lighthouse construction on Gull Rock. While the bay on the eastern side of the Keweenaw Peninsula offers protection from prevailing northwestern winds, the passage by Gull Rock proved a serious threat to mariners. Construction began in 1867, and the light was put into service on November 1 of the same year. The lighthouse shares its design with Granite Island Light and Huron Island Light Station. In 1901, a 40-foot retaining wall was built northeast of the structure to protect it from waves washing over the island.

In 1913, the light was automated and responsibility for its care was transferred to the keeper of the nearby Manitou Island Light Station. Since that time, the station fell into disrepair until 2005, when it was transferred to the Gull Rock Lightkeepers, a nonprofit organization working to restore the lighthouse. The tower is constructed of brick and measures 9 by 9 by 46 feet high.

The original Fourth Order Fresnel lens was manufactured by Barbier and Fenestre of Paris. It is said to be on display at Whitefish Point Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, although there are claims the lens may be misidentified. The original lens was replaced by a 9.8-inch acrylic lens which continues to function today. The lighthouse is painted white with a black lantern and gallery and red roofs.

Between 1907 and 1926, the rocky shoals claimed six vessels: Spokane, E.N. Saunders, L.C. Waldo, Taurus, Samuel Mather, and Charles C. West. All were salvaged. Low visibility due to fog and the failure to place a fog signal were likely factors in these incidents. In the summer of 2012, major structural repairs were done on the light. The station remains closed and off limits to visitors.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons