Where is split rock lighthouse

A lower-ranking enlisted man was then assigned as tour guide. In , electricity came to the North Shore and the lighthouse. World War II saw sidearms requested by the light keepers to use if necessary to protect the property from any attempted sabotage. That request was denied. Even though Clyde Adams had opened the Split Rock gift shop in as a commercial enterprise adjacent to the lighthouse, visitors long accustomed to using the site as a rest stop were not welcome during the war.

The rationing of gas and tires led to much less traffic on the North Shore anyway. Once the war ended, tourism exploded into a major industry on the shore and the flood of visitors returned to Split Rock. In , after technological advances, and reportedly as a favor to the owner of a nearby resort where he normally stayed during visits to the site, the lighthouse inspector ordered the shutdown of the fog signal.

Seven years later, new navigational technology made it possible to turn off the light. After the decommissioning, the Coast Guard deeded the property to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in The DNR operated the site as a park and tourist stop until The DNR focused on Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and turned the light and surrounding 25 acres over to MHS, which has done a great deal of restoration and upgrading to present an authentic look at the life of light keepers and their families at a beautiful but remote station.

He and wife, Jane, have spent interesting times since as residents on the site. Their two children have never known another home.

In , construction of the Visitor Center and parking areas were significant improvements on the site but, by , ever greater numbers of visitors meant that additional facilities were needed.

Radzak estimates annual increases in traffic at up to 5 percent per year. Overall, Split Rock Lighthouse State Park now totals more than 2, acres, including the spectacular acre Gold Rock property purchased for the park by the Parks and Trails Council in and an additional 43 acres of ridgeline above the highway that was purchased and made available to the park by the Parks and Trail Council in The beacon shines to mark significant occasions, like the anniversary of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald each November And, in true lighthouse tradition, it continues to attract and call attention to itself.

November 12, Nov 12, PM - PM. Fitger's Brewery Complex. Apr 26, - Jan 8, Marquette Regional History Center. November 13, Nov 13, AM - PM. November 14, November 15, November 16, November 17, Nov 17, AM. Cook County Higher Education. Nov 17, PM - PM. November 18, Nov 18, PM - PM. Fairlawn Mansion. Search Events Submit Yours. Tweets by lakesuperiormag. A Great Lakes Information Network partner. All rights reserved. Superior St. The fog signal originally consisted of duplicate six-inch sirens excited by air compressed by a twenty-two horsepower gasoline engine.

A derrick and hoisting engine were provided to haul construction material and supplies up the cliff from vessels. Amazingly, all the material to construct the station had to be brought to the site by water , as the highway that now runs nearby was not constructed until On October 2, , just over two months after the station was activated, the assistant keepers perished near the station.

The 2 assistants left the station in row boat at to go to Split Rock for mail and did not return. Keeper left the station at 8 a. That shows that both men drowned. Two men were hastily assigned to fill the roles of assistant keepers at Split Rock. In , a tramway was constructed to replace the hoisting derrick. A gasoline engine was used to pull a cart up a railway from the landing and boathouse at the base of the cliff to a turntable at the hoist house.

The cart would then be disconnected and pushed by hand to the dwellings, barns, or oil storage house. Up until , the keepers would vacate the station during the winter months. Ileana Covell-Meyers, daughter of Keeper Covell, recorded her feelings about having to winter elsewhere. I know one thing that I disliked as a child, and that was closing the light on December 15 and we had to pack and leave the place until April There was always the changing of school twice a year and returning to a cold house that took days to get the frost out of it.

It was a joyous year when they finally consented to letting the keeps stay year-round. Those were the good days. Split Rock Lighthouse with tramway in foreground Mrs. Covell-Meyers fondly remembers the diverse experiences she had at Split Rock: Thunderous waves pounding the caves beneath the cliffs so hard the entire rock quakes.

Gale winds driving the spray completely over the promontory, sculpting ice an inch thick on the east windows. Water pipes and inkbottles alike freezing; hot-water heat failing; lightning storms knocking down curtains and making the old fashioned telephone dance in the dining room.

Summer nights so idyllically quiet fish could be heard jumping far below in the dark water, or through an open window a hand-wound victrola playing records newly arrived by boat from Chicago.

Such were the early contrasts at Split Rock. In , Keeper Covell received the following direction from his superiors: This is a show station in the Lighthouse Service and visitors should be encouraged to visit the Lighthouse and see the lens and other mechanism at stated periods which are indicated on the sign placed at the entrance of the station.

The office recognizes that the public is not always considerate but many of the visiting public are thoughtful of the rights of the keepers and these should not be penalized in their earnest efforts to see the light stations when on tourist trips or otherwise.

The fog signal was discontinued in All hours Amenities. Admission Cost Grounds pass Self-guided tour includes access to visitor center and historic grounds. Getting here Split Rock Lighthouse Rd. What to see and do. Start at the visitor center See an award-winning film, explore the exhibits, and visit the museum store.

Lighthouse Get a glimpse of lighthouse life in this remote and spectacular setting. Historic buildings Explore the restored keeper's house, oil house, and the fog signal building. Featured Event. Included with general admission, MNHS members free.