The Grays Reef Light is a lighthouse located in the northeast part of Lake Michigan, about 3.8 miles (6.1 kilometers) west of Waugoshance Island in Bliss Township, Michigan. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
History
In the 1880s, as more iron ore was shipped through the Straits of Mackinac, people who transported goods began asking for better lighting on the dangerous shoals in the area. In 1889, Congress provided $60,000 to build three lightvessels to be placed at Simmons Reef, White Shoals, and Grays Reef. The three vessels, named LV55, LV56, and LV57, were built by Blythe Craig Shipbuilding in Toledo, Ohio, and began operating in late 1891. LV57 remained on Grays Reef for every shipping season until 1923, when its hull became too worn to stay in service. LV103 (the Lightship Huron) was used on Grays Reef from 1923 to 1927, after which LV56 was moved to the station. LV56 lasted only two years before it also became too worn to remain in service. LV103 returned to Grays Reef for part of the 1929 season and was then replaced by LV99.
By this time, improvements in underwater construction made it possible to build a permanent light station on Grays Reef instead of using a floating lightvessel. In 1934, Congress approved funding for a new station. The Greiling Brothers Company was hired to build the station, and work started in the summer of 1934. The structure was completed in September 1936, two months late and over budget.
In 1937, a radio beacon and a 40-foot (12-meter) tower were added to the station; the tower was removed in 2010. In 1939, the United States Coast Guard took over control of the station. The lighthouse was staffed until 1976, when a solar-powered system was installed. Today, the lighthouse uses a 7.5-inch (190 mm) 12-volt DC acrylic Tideland Signal optic.
Description
The Grays Reef Light was built using the same design as the Minneapolis Shoal Light, which was constructed around the same time. This design was based on a plan created by F. P. Dillon and W. G. Will, who previously used it for lights in Conneaut, Ohio, and Huron, Ohio.
The light is located on a square reinforced concrete pier that is 30 feet (9.1 meters) high and 64 feet (20 meters) wide on each side. On top of the pier is a two-story base that is 15 feet (4.6 meters) high and 30 feet (9.1 meters) wide on each side. The cellar and first floor of the base were built to hold diesel generators, boilers, and compressors, which provided power and heat for the light, fog signal, and keeper's quarters. The second floor of the base housed the keeper's quarters. The lighthouse tower is placed in the center of the building's roof. The tower is 65 feet (20 meters) tall and narrows from 16 feet (4.9 meters) at the base to 10 feet (3.0 meters) below the gallery. The entire structure is covered on the outside with steel plates. The lantern at the top of the tower has helical astragals and contained a red 3-1/2 order Fresnel lens.