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Gull Island Light stands on a tiny, low island in Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands, where it marks dangerous shoals extending from nearby Michigan Island. Although the need for a light was recognized as early as 1863, repeated wrecks and groundings occurred for decades before Congress funded one in 1928. Built in 1929, the structure was a steel skeletal tower with an automated acetylene beacon visible up to thirteen miles, later replaced by a solar-powered light. Erosion has greatly reduced Gull Island over time, and today the island is fragile, seasonally closed to protect breeding birds, while the light continues to aid navigation.
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La Pointe, Wisconsin · United States