Raspberry Island Lighthouse
The “Showplace of the Apostle Islands” was built at the urging of Henry Rice, the influential St. Paul politician who founded the city of Bayfield. A light on Raspberry Island would help mark the approach to the new port. Support from shipping interests added weight to Rice’s proposal, and in 1859 President Buchanan signed an order reserving the entire island for lighthouse use.
Construction of the lighthouse began about two years later, and the structure was nearly ready for use by the end of 1862. Only one problem delayed the station’s entry into service: the lantern’s lens had not yet arrived. Lighthouse lenses are highly specialized optics, designed to focus the light from a small lamp into a beam that can be seen many miles across the water. The lens for the Raspberry lantern was crafted in France and took months to make its way over the ocean and across half a continent. It was not until mid-July of 1863 that the lens was installed and the light station officially began operation.
The little lighthouse was hardly adequate for three keepers and their family members, so in 1906, the Lighthouse Service remodeled the building from the ground up. Portions of the old structure were incorporated into the new building, but final result was a lighthouse that was much larger and more imposing than the original. The new lighthouse was occupied until 1947, when the light was converted to automatic operation. The lens remained in the tower until 1957, when the Coast Guard replaced it with a battery-operated beacon mounted on a pole in front of the lighthouse. Today, visitors can see the original Raspberry Island lens on display at the Wisconsin State Historical Society Museum on Madeline Island.
While the lighthouse we see on Raspberry Island appears much the same as it did in 1906, the surrounding setting has changed substantially. When the lighthouse was built, the surrounding area was cleared of trees so that ships would have a clear view of the beacon. Photos taken as recently as the 1940s show an open area of several acres around the station. Today, forest has encroached upon the site, and only a portion of the original clearing remains.
More ominously, the bluff in front of the lighthouse has suffered severe erosion. The steep clay banks face the force of Lake Superior at their base, while the upper sections are subject to “slumping,” or collapse. Despite some efforts at erosion control in the 1980s, engineers warn that the receding bank could threaten the light station structures in as little as ten years.
Fortunately, Congress has acted to protect the historic treasure known as the Raspberry Island lighthouse. Funds were appropriated to institute erosion control measures that will combine construction of a seawall at the base of the bluff, regrading the slope to a stable angle, drainage improvement, and planting vegetation. During the summer and fall of 2002, visitors to Raspberry Island were able to see the work in progress. By the end of October, more than half the project was complete. Work resumed in the spring of 2003, and the project was completed in July.
Where it is:
Raspberry Island, accessible by boat only.
The Raspberry Island lighthouse is the most readily accessible of the six Apostle Island stations. During the summer season, Apostle Islands Cruise Service tour boats stop at the island. Raspberry Island Lighthouse is best seen from the water, or by landing on the island and visiting the lighthouse on a ranger-guided tour offered by the park service from mid-June to mid-September.
Maps:
Interactive Google Map
Use the map + – controls to zoom in and out, click and drag the to move the map, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views. Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view.
GPS:
46°58’13.998″ N 90°48’18” W
Cost:
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore does not charge an entrance fee, but does have expanded amenity fees. These fees apply to overnight docking, parking at Meyer’s Beach Road, lighthouse tours, and camping.
The Lighthouse tour fall under the pricing for Interpretive Programs.
| Interpretive Programs | |
| Regularly scheduled on or off-site, per child (up to age 16) | $3 |
| Regularly scheduled on or off-site, per adult | $5 |
| Regularly scheduled on or off-site, per family | $10 |
Hours:
During the summer season National Park Service rangers conduct tours of the historic tower from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Facilities:
There are primitive restrooms on the island but there are no other facilities.
Location Contact Information:
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
415 Washington Ave
Bayfield, WI 54814
- Park Main Line: 715-779-3398
- General Information: ext 0
- Visitor and Camping information: ext 2
- Ice Line (from late-November to March): ext 3
- Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center: 715-685-9983
Fax 715-779-3049
Apostle Islands Cruises
P.O. Box 691
715-779-3925
1-800-323-7619
Bayfield, WI 54814
Raspberry Island Lighthouse Photo Gallery
Click Here for full page gallery
More Photographic Destinations in Wisconsin:
Interactive Google Map
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Great Places for Great Photos
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