Lighthouses of Wisconsin -  Dunlap Reef
2501 Canal Rd, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235​
Depending on the level of Lake Michigan, Dunlap Reef may protrude above the surface of Sturgeon Bay or lurk a few inches below it. Situated just north of the Michigan Street bridge in downtown Sturgeon Bay, Dunlap Reef is roughly a half-mile long and was first marked in 1873, when the Lighthouse Board placed buoys at each end of the shoal.
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Prints & Downloads

Map

Location


The Southport Lighthouse, built in 1866, is the third government lighthouse built on Simmons Island, formerly Washington Island. It was the first navigational light a mariner would see upon entering Wisconsin from Chicago. It was operational until 1906.
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​​Google Maps HERE

History

Key Historical Highlights:​
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The Kenosha Southport Lighthouse, built in 1866, is the third government lighthouse built on Simmons Island, formerly Washington Island, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 

Back then, Kenosha was known as Southport — because the area was the southern most port in the Wisconsin territory on Lake Michigan. In that year, 61 steamboats and 80 schooners called on the village. A lighthouse was needed in order for these ships to find the village at night. The first lighthouse was an oak stump cut ten feet off the ground with a wooden platform, lined with rock, built on top. On this, a fire was lit each night during the shipping season.

Photography

EASY Access - You can pull your car up to the parking lot and walk a few yards to view the lighthouse.
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Anytime during the daylight is good to visit this lighthouse.  A 20mm to 50mm lens would be ideal.