Talk:Chequamegon Point Light

Issues of Accuracy

This entry appears largely based on a single magazine article, which is superficial and riddled with errors. (“Wobser, David, 'Chequamegon Point Light,' from an article that originally appeared in Great Laker Magazine at boatnerd.com.”) Some, but not all, of the errors in that article appear traceable to the National Park Service Maritime Heritage Program Inventory of Historic Light Stations web page, posted in 2002. Unfortunately, this page contains numerous errors and often conflicts with other, more up-to-date, National Park Service and U.S. Coast Guard publications.

“First lit 1896”

Numerous well-researched sources attest to the tower’s construction in 1897, not 1896. Examples are the Apostle Island National Lakeshore web page and the NPS-sponsored study, People and Places: A Human History of the Apostle Islands (Jane C. Busch, 2008, p.129.)

Unquestionably the most authoritative references for the date of construction are the 1898 Annual Report of the U.S. Lighthouse Board, which reads,

Chequamegon Point, Lake Superior. – The work of moving and rebuilding the main La Pointe tower, and establishing a harbor light and fog bell at Chequamegon Point was finished. A fixed red fourth-order light and a fog bell were on October 11, 1897, established in the structure erected at the extreme end of Chequamegon Point.

And the station’s own log, which details construction activity through the summer of 1897 and finally proclaims,

October 11: Moved lens from house to point tower and sot [set] same in place. Lit light in both tower October 11th 1897.

Terry Pepper’s Seeing The Light web site gives a good summary of the construction process.

“In 1868 the original was established on Long Island's western end, marking the entrance to Chequamegon Bay and with it the towns of Washburn and Ashland.”

The date of establishment was 1858, not 1868. References include the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore web page and Busch, op cit. (p. 127). Worth mention also is the 1890 Annual Report of the U.S. Lighthouse Board, which notes,

“Chequamegon light and fog-signal. Lake Superior, Wisconsin. – A light on the east side of the entrance to Chequamegon Bay has been in service since 1858, and the act of October 1, 1888, authorized a fog-signal at a cost of $5,000, and on March 2, 1889, an appropriation was made therefor.”

Moreover, whether the light was established 1858 or 1868, it would not have been marking the entrance to Washburn at the time, since the town was not founded until 1883. (References: Lars Larson, Chequamegon Bay And Its Communities: A Brief History, 1659-1883; City of Washburn official site: Washburn Through The Years .)

“A boardwalk connected them, so light keepers could ride bicycles between the lights.”

This assertion needs a better source, or else should be removed. It is worth noting that the surviving volumes of the keeper’s log, which cover the years 1872 to 1943 and include considerable detail about life at the station, make no reference to a bicycle.

“ In 1896, it was replaced in 1896 (sic) by a square, white steel room sitting on steel legs.”

See above concerning construction date.

“In 1986, the Coast Guard moved the light back from the shore.”

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore web site, and a variety of other sources, give the relocation date as 1987, not 1986.

“It is no longer an active aid to navigation”

“Deactivated: 1986”

Incorrect; the beacon is still in service on the free-standing tower. (Reference: U.S. Coast Guard 2011 Light List, Volume VII- Great Lakes, p.144.)

Bobmack apis (talk) 16:12, 1 June 2011 (UTC)bobmack_apis

I suggest you go bold and fix it. --Muhandes (talk) 07:24, 2 June 2011 (UTC)

As the comment above notes, the article is full of inaccurate information, and a major correction is long overdue. For the moment, I removed several egregious errors, and I plan to update the article considerably over the next several days. Hudsonberry (talk) 17:03, 28 May 2026 (UTC) Hudsonberry

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Major Revisions

Rather than trying to make piecemeal corrections, I rewrote the entire article, basing the content on more reliable sources than the previous version. There are a few places where even these disagree, e.g. the height of the tower: 39 feet? 42 feet? In cases like these I used my best judgment to determine which source to use, eg. prioritizing the NPS Historic Structure Report, prepared by professional architects, over popular histories. Another example: a few sources assert that the light was placed into service in 1896, but the actual keeper's log pins the date down precisely: October 11, 1897.

A lighter issue that called for some judgment involved a statement in the previous version claiming that keepers at the La Pointe station used bicycles to travel back and forth between the two towers. It's a charming image, repeated on several webpages and in the popular magazine Lighthouse Digest, but evidence for the assertion is shaky. I have been unable to find any reliable documentation to back up the story, and it's worth noting that the surviving volumes of the La Pointe light station keeper's log, recording each day's activities from 1872 to 1947, don't include the word "bicycle" even once. The bicycle story may or may not be true, but I'd recommend setting it aside for the moment, until someone can come up with reliable documentation. Hudsonberry Hudsonberry (talk) 19:15, 30 May 2026 (UTC)