Racine Harbor Lighthouse and Life Saving Station developed from an 1837 lighthouse at the mouth of the Root River into a larger federal harbor safety complex on Lake Michigan. As harbor improvements expanded in the early 1860s, a new lighthouse was built offshore and completed in 1866, serving for about 40 years. In 1903, navigation shifted to a separate 120-foot steel tower, while the older lighthouse was altered after its lantern was removed. That same year, a life-saving station was added, from which crews conducted search-and-rescue work along the coast between Milwaukee and Kenosha and far out into the lake, reflecting the harbor’s dual roles of navigation and rescue.