Cana Island Lighthouse, north of Baileys Harbor, Door County, Wisconsin
CANA ISLAND LIGHT
LAKE MICHIGAN/BAILEYS HARBOR/NORTH BAY
Station Established: 1870
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1869
Operational? YES
Automated? YES 1945
Deactivated: N/A
Foundation Materials: DRESSED STONE
Construction Materials: YELLOW BRICK/1902 STEEL SHELL ADDED
Tower Shape: CYLINDRICAL
Markings/Pattern: WHITE
Relationship to Other Structure: ATTACHED
Original Lens: THIRD ORDER, FRESNEL 1870
HISTORICAL INFORMATION:
- The tower was built in 1869.
- In 1902 the brick tower was encased in a steel shell with the space between the steel and the brick filled with concrete. This was done to prevent deterioration of the structure.
- Alterations were made to the entrance to the tower over the years. It is now only accessible through the keepers’ house.
- In 1941 the light was automated with power supplied by a generator.
- In 1960 power lines were run to the island.
- In 1976 the light was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
- The Island and buildings are currently being leased from the Bureau of Land Management by the Door County Maritime Museum.
Researched and written by Anne Puppa, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.