LAKE SUPERIOR, Mich. — A remote Michigan lighthouse offshore Lake Superior recorded one of the strongest wind gusts today amid severe winter storms and snowstorms in the Upper Peninsula.
Meteorological equipment at Stannard Rock Lighthouse recorded wind gusts of 69 mph this morning. It was the third-highest gust recorded so far in the storm, according to a list compiled by the National Weather Service. The highest gust recorded in Sault Ste Marie was 72 mph. 70 mph on the Ford River near Marie and Escanaba.
The historic Stannard Rock Lighthouse sits on the eastern shore of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. A wind warning has been issued for Lake Superior waters today until later tonight. Wind gusts could reach as high as 57 mph today with waves as high as 25 feet.
Stannard Rock is located 24 miles off the coast of the Upper Peninsula and is considered the farthest lighthouse from the coast in the continental United States. This earned it the grim nickname “The Loneliest Place in the World.”
Standard Rock Lighthouse
The history of “the loneliest place in the world.”
Stannard Rock Station was built in 1883 and is well known among fans of Great Lakes lighthouse legends. Its exposed crib, or foundation, is considered one of the top ten engineering feats in the United States, according to the National Park Service. It was built to commemorate a massive underwater coral reef considered one of the most dangerous obstacles to shipping on Lake Superior. In some places, the top of a huge underwater mountain was found just 4 feet above the water.
Here’s some more historical information from a U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette social media post to give you an idea of the place:
“The Old Keepers told horrific stories of life on the rocks. Fierce northwest storms whipped up 30-foot waves that crashed against the towers and spray poured over the lantern house 110 feet above the lake. Louis Wilks of Marquette holds the record for 99 consecutive days on the rocks. No other keepers have achieved this remarkable feat. The men took turns leaving the rocks, on and off, for three weeks. 1939 The U.S. Coast Guard took over the lighthouse and overwhelming loneliness remains a problem.”
The lighthouse was automated in 1962, a year after a fatal fire and explosion left the survivors stranded at Stannard Rock for days until they were discovered by a passing ship. In 1971, the lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It remains a work aid for navigation. Although the lighthouse is closed to the public, it can be viewed by boat or plane.
If emergency repairs are needed during the winter, the U.S. Coast Guard will use a helicopter to send a team to the lighthouse.
Read the original article at mlive.com.
