Gull Rock
Gull
Rock’s brick schoolhouse-style lighthouse was constructed in 1867
with a Fourth Order Fresnel lens and has played an integral role in Lake Superior’s
maritime history. Today, the unmanned lighthouse, along with its sister light
nearby on Manitou Island, is a key navigation aid and landmark highlighting the
bend in the shipping lane that connects Duluth, Minnesota to Sault Saint Marie,
Michigan. During fierce storms from the northwest, Gull Rock also marks the gateway
to safe passage on the leeward side of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula.
Time and the elements have been unkind to Gull Rock. Because it lies in the
open waters of Lake Superior, it is exposed to the lake’s notorious winds, high
waves, bulging winter ice jams and the swift current that spills off the tip
of Keweenaw. The boathouse and docks have long since washed away. In some areas
of the lighthouse’s exterior, 50 percent of the brick has vanished. A large
hole (now repaired) existed in the roof for years, exposing the interior of the
keeper’s dwelling to at least 30 inches of annual precipitation. Two-thirds
of the lighthouse’s second floor has rotted and collapsed and now lies
as debris on the first floor. The dilapidated brick privy is the only other building
remaining on Gull Rock and it sits near the water’s edge on the east
side of the island. If the lighthouse is to remain a critical part of keeping
this
passage safe, it must be preserved.
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Point Betsie
Port Austin Reef
Gull Rock
