Eldred Rock Light, Coastal lighthouse in Lynn Canal, Alaska
Eldred Rock Light is an octagonal beacon standing along the Lynn Canal coast in Alaska, rising 56 feet (17 meters) tall with a white exterior and concrete foundation that marks it as a distinctive navigation aid. The structure demonstrates early building techniques applied to Alaskan lighthouses of that era.
Construction began in 1905 under the direction of the United States Lighthouse Board and marked a turning point in Alaskan coastal development. It remains the sole surviving structure from the original group of ten lighthouses built during this founding period.
This beacon symbolizes the maritime connection of this coastal region and carries a name tied to early exploration. Visitors can learn about the historical lens now preserved at the Sheldon Museum in Haines to understand the structure's role in navigation history.
This beacon lies roughly 80 kilometers north of Juneau and has operated fully automatically since 1973 without a resident keeper. It can best be viewed from boat tours traveling through Lynn Canal that explore the rocky shoreline.
During a storm in the early 1900s, the lighthouse keeper discovered wreckage from the Clara Nevada shipwreck among the rocks below the beacon. These remains surface at low tide and tell a story of the dangerous conditions this light once worked to prevent.
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