Midwest Adventure: Split Rock Light Station

When I planned this trip, I envisioned a series of magnificent Great Lakes lighthouses. Well, so far, we had seen none. After all, Voyageurs is based on smaller lakes, not large navigable waterways. 

But, after we left Voyageurs, we headed for the western shore of Lake Superior and made an unplanned, but worthwhile, stop at Split Rock Light Station, the first real lighthouse we saw.

Split Rock Light

Located north of Duluth in Two Harbors, Minnesota, Split Rock isn't a particularly tall lighthouse because it is perched on top of a very tall cliff. But, once you walk around the side where you can see it one the cliff, it's really something. When you go to the lakeshore, it's even more impressive.

According to the Minnesota Historical Society, which manages the site, a single gale on Nov. 28, 1905, damaged almost a third of the more than 100 steel freighters operating on Lake Superior, most of them uninsured. Two foundered near Two Harbors on the rocky coastline that had been called "the most dangerous piece of water in the world." 

Following the disaster, a steamship company delegation petitioned Congress for a lighthouse and fog signal. For reasons that aren't clear, the delegation referred to the area, which was named Stony Point, as Split Rock. The name stuck.

Looking down

In early 1907, Congress appropriated $75,000 and the U.S. Lighthouse Service (USLHS) completed construction of the light in 1910. After 29 years under the USLHS, the Light Station was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard. Initially, the light could be accessed only by water. But, when U.S. Highway 61 was built in 1924, the beautiful lighthouse became one of the most visited in the United States.

More than a century before Split Rock Station was built, U.S. lighthouses had begun revolving their lights - then composed of wick-based oil lamps - to produce regular flashing signals. 

Three views

Rotation was accomplished by a gear box attached to the base of the lens pedestal that had to be wound by hand every two hours through the night. In 1822, French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel developed the "annular" (ring-shaped) lens. Now, the light could be flashed by rotating the lens assembly while the light source remained stationary. 

Close up

The Split Rock lens floated in 250 pounds of liquid mercury, making it possible to rotate the 1,500-pound apparatus fast enough so that only two lens panels were needed. Fewer panels means less light diffusion, resulting in a substantial increase in brightness. Oil vapor lamps, a relatively new innovation in 1910, were installed at Split Rock, making the light one of the most powerful of the more than 400 lighthouses and beacons on the Great Lakes. Officially visible for 22 miles, the light could be seen by fishermen near Grand Marais, more than 60 miles away. 

The Light Station and fog signal were electrified in 1940, replacing the kerosene vapor lamp with a 1,000-watt light bulb.

The Station closed in 1969 when modern navigational equipment made it obsolete. 

The State of Minnesota obtained the 25-acre Split Rock Lighthouse Historic Site 1971 and transferred responsibility for it to the Minnesota Historical Society in 1976. 

Details

The site has been restored to its early 1920s appearance -- back when the isolated light station was accessible only by water. In 2011, Split Rock Light Station was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

It costs $10 ($8 for seniors; $6 for children) to visit the Station, including touring the lighthouse ...

Inside the Lighthouse

... the Light Keeper's house ...

A cozy cottage

... and walking down a very long staircase ...

Down to the lake

... to see the lighthouse from below ...

Looking up

It's a pretty lighthouse, worth the visit.

After we left Split Rock, we drove through Duluth -- the pretty-Victorian-house part and the ugly-empty-building-homeless-people part. Two different worlds.

We had discovered the day before that the Tall Ships were in Duluth and we tried to go to the festival. But, parking was very limited, we were pulling the trailer and it was raining, so we moved on.

Very distant Tall Ship

Later, I will explain where I got the picture of the 157-foot topsail schooner, Pride of Baltimore II, a reconstruction of the early 19th-century Baltimore Clipper Chasseur.  This was one of the Tall Ships in Duluth.

Baltimore Clippers served as privateers during the War of 1812. Chasseur, one of the most successful, singlehandedly blockaded the British Isles and captured or sank 17 vessels before returning home to be greeted by cheering crowds and dubbed the "Pride of Baltimore."

Since 1988, Pride of Baltimore II has sailed 250,000 nautical miles -- equivalent to almost 12 times around the world -- and visited more than 200 ports in 40 countries, promoting historical maritime education and fostering economic development and tourism. 

Trip date: August 12-September 5, 2016