Rock of Ages Light, Lighthouse in Keweenaw County, Michigan, US.
Rock of Ages Light is a steel lighthouse standing on a small rocky reef in Lake Superior, in Keweenaw County, Michigan. The cylindrical tower rises from a black base and operates automatically today, with no resident keeper on site.
Rock of Ages Light began operating in 1908, after a series of shipwrecks on the reef below pushed authorities to act. It was built to reduce the danger on one of Lake Superior's most treacherous stretches of open water.
The original Fresnel lens from Rock of Ages Light is now on display at the Windigo Visitor Center on Isle Royale, where visitors can see it up close. It gives a concrete sense of how sailors once relied on this kind of equipment to cross Lake Superior safely.
The lighthouse is best seen from the ferries running between Grand Portage, Minnesota, and Isle Royale. Bringing binoculars makes a real difference, since the tower stands well out on open water and the distance from the boat can be considerable.
Rock of Ages Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which is unusual for a structure sitting on an isolated reef with no public access. This recognition reflects how central the lighthouse was to keeping shipping lanes safe on Lake Superior.
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