Lighthouses of Wisconsin -  Sturgeon Bay Pierhead

2501 Canal Rd, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235​

The Pierhead navigation light was built in 1882, and the station was built with a tower light in 1899, renovated in 1903, and automated in 1972. The lower level breakwall is the only section of the grounds that are open to the public.
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May 15, 1882, Rufus M. Wright was the first keeper

Location

On Highway 42, just north of where it crosses Sturgeon Bay, turn east on Utah Street, right on Cove Road, then left onto Canal Drive. Follow Canal Drive 2.7 miles to the Coast Guard Station. Park near the entrance to the Coast Guard station and then follow the paved road through the Coast Guard station to the pier, where Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Pierhead Lighthouse is located.
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​​Google Maps HERE

History

Key Historical Highlights:​
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Several lights have been established along the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal over the years, but the first of these was Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Pierhead Lighthouse. Located just off the coastline of Lake Michigan, the lighthouse was constructed in October and November of 1881, after Congress finally appropriated money for the project originally proposed by the Lighthouse Board in 1873. The light guides ships into the eastern entrance of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, which provides a shortcut to Green Bay, avoiding the dangerous Northern Passage around the Door Peninsula commonly referred to as “Death’s Door.”

Dense fog banks frequently shrouded the entrance to the canal, so in 1884, a fog signal was established on the pier just shoreward of the light. Two buildings measuring seventeen feet wide by thirty-two feet long were erected on the pier, one behind the other, to house duplex steam boilers to power a fog whistle

​By 1902, the pierhead light and fog signal were in need of major repairs, prompting the Lighthouse Board to recommend the construction of a new combined fog signal and light. 

Photography

EASY Access - You can pull your car up to the parking lot and walk a few yards to view the lighthouse.  As you are walking, you can see "Private" vs "Public" annotated on the blacktop.  Stay on the Public property.

This is an amazing location to do Milkyway photography.
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Sunrise is awesome to visit the lighthouse.  Plan on walking out on the pier when conditions are favorable.  If its too windy or if there is ICE, then you need to stay off of the pier.