Algoma's Lighthouse: Its Early Days Revisited

 

Algoma lighthouse at Roen's in Sturgeon Bay, July 14, 2026

Imagine living along the lake, relaxing on the porch or patio, reading a book or enjoying a lovely glass of Von Stiehl wine only to look up to see a familiar red lighthouse traveling north on Lake Michigan.  Say what? Maybe it’s time to ditch “it's 5:00 over the yardarm somewhere” idea. But maybe not. Follow Todd Haulterderferheide’s Facebook posts and you’ll know exactly why Algoma lighthouse did indeed go north on the lake. Right now, Algoma’s lighthouse is at Roen's in Sturgeon Bay. 

Algoma’s lighthouses – the red one replaced an earlier lighthouse – and the piers are steeped in history. Algoma’s senior citizens well remember falling asleep to the sound of the foghorn. Ask any of those seniors to “sing” the sound of the foghorn, and, most likely, they will.

Not long after first settlement in 1851 the harbor in what is now Algoma became an issue.

The river's mouth - the pier area - was the busiest part of the fledgling community, however it took five years for the first pier to be built. In 1856 businessman David Youngs built it on the north side of the river so boats did not have to cross the ever-shifting sand bar at the mouth of the river, which wasn’t where it is today. 

The Wolf – now called Ahnapee – River entered Lake Michigan east of today’s Harbor Inn. From that point, the river turned south for a few hundred feet, connecting to the channel residents know today. It was years later that the U.S. Engineers “straightened” the channel.

For nearly 50 years, the harbor – or lack of one – was a bone of contention. Over those years, the small maritime community worked independently to provide the harbor residents knew was there. When Capt. Johnny Doak “jumped the bar” bringing his Ella Doak into the river in 1873, folks thought he proved it. What Capt. Johnny did was bring in the Ella in fierce winds that enabled the vessel to cross the sand bar to enter the river. Twenty-two years earlier, July 4, 1851, settler Orrin Warner was turning into the river when his small sailboat hit the sandbar and capsized, throwing his family with three small children into the drink. That 2’ sandbar changed depending on the winds, however it appears Capt. Doak dealt with the same issue as Warner. Capt. Doak made it without incident, tied up at the brewery dock and went home to dinner. The Warners found their belongings and dried themselves and their things. When they ate that July 1851 day, they didn’t have coffee, flour, sugar or anything else that was soaked. 

Early residents worked together, but as the community grew, things became “difficult.” Animosity began ruling the small community and for a while it was power and greed that were winning out. While federal monies were there earlier, there were problems. Things with which generations of Algoma residents grew up really began to happen in the late 1890s. 

Ahnapee had piers, but not those familiar to current Algoma residents. Over 150 years ago, Ahnapee wanted a pier light, feeling a light’s expense was nominal in comparison to safety benefits. Some harbors had lights and there were lightships to mark shoals. Lake Michigan lightships were primarily on the eastern side of the lake. Few harbors north of Milwaukee dd the shipping business Ahnapee did, and citizenry felt some kind of light should be kept as a guide to vessels entering port at night. As Ahnapee Record editorialized, “Let there be light.” The entrance to the harbor was too narrow, especially at night when the town lights were the only visible light.

At Halloween 1878, it was the harbor, not revelers, that became the “trick.” As Belle Laurie was attempting to enter the harbor at about 6:30, Capt. Laurie spotted a light and supposed it was the pier light only to be surprised to be south of the bridge pier, quite close to shore. The light turned out to be a streetlamp. A fierce wind, heavy sea and blinding snow made it nearly impossible to see a distance of 100’, and realizing the situation, Capt. Laurie tried to bring the vessel in but failing, he dropped both anchors. They didn’t hold and the vessel was being dragged closer to shore and into the piers. Aware of conditions, the alarm sounded, and within a few minutes about 100 people rushed to be pier to assist the schooner. Capt. Laurie and Charley Bacon - the only 2 men onboard - succeeded in bringing the Belle alongside the pier with some damage, even while it struck a yawl and lost a davit.

The extra hands hauled the vessel around the pier and into the harbor while the seas ran over the piers, soaking those tugging at the lines while the anchors were at the bottom of the lake. The escape was almost a miracle.

There were other such stories.

By 1886, both Kewaunee and Sturgeon Bay canal had foghorns that could be heard in Ahnapee when conditions were right such as in April when heavy fog hung over the lake. Cautionary signals were heard all over the lake, but not in Ahnapee. In April 1889, Congress awarded Two Rivers money for a foghorn, but there was nothing for Ahnapee.

Things began looking up in February 1892 when a city resident received a letter from Congressman G.H. Brickner about a pier lighthouse to be established in spring in addition to a pier light which was necessary in view of the large amount of shipping. For years, the city had kept a light on the pier and paid the expenses because of the value of the shipping.

April of 1892 saw Congress awarding funds for safety equipment on Lake Michigan – thousands and thousands of dollars for a fog signal at Manitowoc, lights and more at the Canal, range lights and fog signals at Death’s Door, but once again, nothing for Ahnapee. Nearly a year later Kewaunee New Era announced the city was the beneficiary of a fog signal not to exceed $5,500 in a bill introduced by Senator Philetus Sawyer. It passed by the Senate on February 11, and Speaker Brickner planned to pass it before the session closed. Northeastern Wisconsin Congressman Ed Minor was still extending his efforts for improvements in 1897 when Capt. Zinn’s review showed the harbor needed deepening and widening in addition to work above the 4^th Street bridge.

In October of ’92, the Record called attention to the building that was “put up many suns ago,” but yet there was still no illumination on the north pier. If the work was done, why didn’t they shine? Again, in January 1893, the Record was still asking when the lights would be lit to make the harbor safe.

When Mayor Parker received a letter from Commander John Brice, USN, in February 1893, the letter inferred the range lights would be up and running soon. He continued saying that Ole Hanson was relocating from Chicago to be in charge of the lights. Hanson found living arrangements in Algoma and his wife expected to stay there permanently.

Range lights are in evidence on the south cusp of Crescent Beach on this early 1900s postcard.

Finally, the Government Lighthouse Board issued notice that about March 1, 1893, a fixed red lens lantern would be exhibited at the outer end of Ahnapee’s north pier. It looked as if something was happening when U.S.N. Rear Admiral James A. Greer signed the following information for the Light House Board.

The lantern plane was 30’ above the top of the pier and was expected to be seen for 7 miles. It would be on a square, pyramidal wooden town, painted white, and surmounted by a black hexagonal iron lantern. The lower part of the tower was opened framework while the upper part was enclosed for a watch room. The approximate position of the light was Latitude, N, 44 deg, 36’ (30”); Longitude, W, 87 deg. 25’ (46”).

A fixed red tubular lantern would be exhibited 22’ above lake level from a post set at the outer end of the north pier. The light was to be visible in clear weather for about 2-3 statute miles and form with the main light, a range that showed the direction of the piers and the course for entering the harbor. 

Both lights are visible on this postcard. The main light lined up with the range lights in the postcard above.

A week later the paper opined that the range lights on the north harbor pier would fill a long want for which vessel owners have been anxiously awaiting.

Ahnapee was on its way. Or was it?

During fall 1896, the paper reported that the government light house supply vessel Dahlia left supplies for the light house where Charles Youngs was the keeper in charge. Nearly a year and a half later, the U.S. steamer Amaranth arrived with government engineers aboard. They told keeper Charles Youngs that a conduit for the range light and 400 feet of elevated walk would be built during the summer. In September, it was announced the work at the lighthouse would be started since part of the material was there.

Nelson Knudson was the light keeper in June 1900 when he received orders to take monthly soundings in the channel and send in a report. Beginning work on the 20^th, soundings began at the harbor’s entrance and extended ¼ mile into the lake from the lighthouse.

Goodrich ferries are both entering and leaving Algoma on a moonlit night. One ferry appears along the south pier while the other is coming in and is near the first lighthouse. Looking carefully, one can see the old Citizens’ Pier at the end of Steele St. The railroad depot almost appears to be on the north pier just before the catwalk. The photographer captured the view, for this 1908 postcard, from the west end of the south pier. Two ferries on one day are an indication of the need for a good harbor.

 

Finally, in April 1910, a new electric fog signal was installed in the new lighthouse. As the paper said, Algoma was “long in need of one and the building of the new harbor made the installation of the signal a necessity that could not be ignored.”

Things went forward and harbor work seemed never ending until the 1930s when the piers were revamped and Algoma wound up with its new red lighthouse - later called “iconic” - that began to identify the community.

In July 1932, the Record Herald carried the news that the cutting down and repairing of the old piers would begin about May 1 and be completed about September 1. In addition, a steel tower lighthouse was to be brought from Milwaukee to replace the old tower. During construction, a temporary lighthouse and a kerosene lamp (left) were used while electric wires were down.

Rocks came from Sturgeon Bay and sand from Green Island. The approximately 100 yards of cement laid daily came from an automatic batch plant mounted on a barge while two steam cranes were there to unload stone, sand and cement. Half of the 50-man workforce was from Algoma. January 1933 marked completion of the fog signal and lights on the pier. The new fog system seemed to be a hit when it replaced an air blast siren that brought complaints from residents. 

The photo was taken in 1932 during the reconstruction of the present North Pier. When the picture was snapped, the top of the catwalk had yet to be finished. At the end of the pier are the old lighthouse and the current lighthouse which had been moved into position.

History was made early in December 1932 when the new red lighthouse was up and running and the old wooden light house was torn down, wrecked and carried away.

Harbor work and dredging continued. Such big-time work hasn’t been seen since the mid-1930s when, for a short time, there were two lighthouses. The community will be without a lighthouse for the immediate future and that’s the first time in over 125 years.

Note: The place that is now Algoma was "Ahnepee" Until 1873 when the small community received its village charter and changed spelling to "Ahnapee." More on that can be found in an earlier blog about the community's various names. The paper known as the Kewaunee Enterprise for over 100 years was Kewaunee Enterprize from its founding in 1859 to 1865. 

Sources: Ahnapee Record, Algoma Record, Algoma Record Herald, An-an-api-sebe: Where is the River?, c. 2001. Photos and map: Kannerwurf, Sharpe, Johnson Collection and blogger's files.