St. Martin Island Light is an exoskeleton lighthouse on St. Martin Island. It marks one of four passages between Lake Michigan and the bay of Green Bay.[8] Constructed in 1905, this light tower is the only example in the US of a pure exoskeletal tower on the Great Lakes. Similar designs exist in Canada.[9] Painted white, the hexagonal tower is made of iron plates which are supported by six exterior steel posts that have latticed buttresses.[4][10]

St. Martin Island Light

St. Martin Island Light USCG Archive
Location	St. Martin Island Lake Michigan
Coordinates	45°30′10″N 86°45′27″W
Tower
Constructed	1905
Foundation	Granite[1]
Construction	Steel exoskeleton[1]
Height	75 ft (23 m)[2]
Markings	white with black lantern[1]
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place, Michigan state historic site
Light
First lit	1905
Focal height	81 feet (25 m)[3]
Lens	occulting 4th Order Fresnel illuminated by a 24,000 candlepower incandescent oil vapor lamp. Rotating red and white flash panels.[4] (original), 7.5-inch (190 mm) Tideland Signal acrylic lens[5] (current)
Range	18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi)[6]
Characteristic	Al W R 10s: W fl 5s ec.; R fl 5s ec. Light visible from 135° to 355°, dark sector covering island.[6]
St. Martin Island Light Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Michigan State Historic Site
Nearest city	Fairport, Michigan
Area	2 acres (0.81 ha)
MPS	U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TR
NRHP reference No.	84001387[7]
Added to NRHP	July 19, 1984

The cream city brick lightkeeper's house was modeled after that used for the Plum Island Range Lights.[4]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 19, 1984, Reference #84001387 as St. Martin Light Station (U.S. Coast Guard/ Great Lakes TR). It is not on the state list/inventory.[11] A steam fog signal was also installed.[12] which was thereafter replaced by a diaphone.[4]

The lighthouse keeper's dwelling has been abandoned and "is in poor condition."[10]

The light station is closed to the public. It is managed by in partnership with the Little Traverse Bay Band of the Odawa Indian Nation.[9][13]

References

External links

• Media related to St. Martin Island Light at Wikimedia Commons
• St. Martin Island Light on the World List of Lights
• Detroit News, Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses, which fails to list St. Martin Island Light.
• Interactive map of Lights in Northern Lake Michigan, mapped by Google.
• Map of Michigan Lighthouse in PDF Format.
• Map of lighthouses in western Lake Michigan.^{[permanent dead link]}
• Boudreau, Sophie (April 14, 2020). "A Drone Flew High Above An Uninhabited Island In Michigan And Caught The Most Incredible Footage" (Video). Only in your state.