Whitefish Point Light
Whitefish Point Light in July 2018 | |
| Location | Whitefish Point Whitefish Township, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 46°46′14″N 84°57′24″W / 46.77056°N 84.95667°W |
| Tower | |
| Foundation | Pier |
| Construction | Steel |
| Automated | 1971 |
| Height | 76 feet (23 m) |
| Shape | Lattice Tower |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place, Michigan state historic site |
| Racon | O |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1849 |
| Focal height | 80 feet (24 m) |
| Lens | 3rd order Fresnel Lens (original), Light-emitting diode (LED) lantern (current) |
| Intensity | RACON: O (– – –). Standby light of reduced intensity. |
| Range | 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl(2) W 20s |
Whitefish Point Light | |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000947 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | February 28, 1973 |
| Designated MSHS | February 22, 1974 |
The Whitefish Point Light is a lighthouse located in Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the southeastern shores of Lake Superior, it sits at the edge of Whitefish Point leading to Whitefish Bay. Constructed in 1849 by congress, it is the oldest operating lighthouse in the Upper Peninsula. All vessels entering or exiting Lake Superior pass near Whitefish Point. The area is infamously known as the "Graveyard of the Great Lakes" due to the high number of shipwrecks in the area, most famously the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.
The lighthouse is part of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum complex, which contains numerous relics from shipwrecks of the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve, including the bell of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. The lighthouse itself was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and again as a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974.