Wisconsin Lights - Milwaukee Harbor Pierhead

The Pierhead light looking out at the Breakwater lighthouse.
2/3/2018      dwm photo

It surprised me that I had never seen the Milwaukee pier light before setting out to add it to my collection.

The directions I found online seemed straight forward, but ultimately dead-reckoning got me around the vast parking lots of the SummerFest grounds to meet the quiet city street which stretches to the lake.

Milwaukee's first lighthouse was built in 1838 on a bluff near the mouth of the river.  It was replaced by the North Point light in 1855.

Just a few years later, in 1860, ship captains argued they needed more help navigating into the harbor.  By 1872, the north pier added a light.  It was moved in 1905 to its current location.

The Milwaukee light retired in 2014.
2/3/2018   dwm photo

It's my first winter light visit.  While I hoped for waves to capture, I was intrigued by how much different the houses for the lights appear in winter.

Looking east toward Lake Michigan, the light seems miffed to be surrounded by large plates of ice while beyond the breakwater it is ice-free.  I think it misses its job.

Yet there it stands, guarding the entrance to the harbor and a channel which leads to the Menomonie and Kinnickinnic rivers which bring water from the northwest and southeast into the harbor.

Both rivers lead to docks in the heart of what used to be Milwaukee's industrial heart.  Now those rivers are used more for enjoyment than shipping.

That transformation includes the land around the harbor, which is booming as the cool place to live downtown and near the water.

Looking southeast toward the Milwaukee Harbor Pier light.
2/3/2018   dwm photo

The morning of my visit temperatures were rising in advance of a coming snow.  I think it was in the mid 20s.  Along the drive to Milwaukee, we saw lots of shanties on the ice, but the harbor ice is too thin.

I saw several anglers working the open patches of the harbor with rod and reel.  They looked cold to me.

It was a great day to see the lighthouses - five more by the end of the trip.  A week from today I'll share the Milwaukee Breakwater lighthouse with you.

You can see more Wisconsin and other lighthouses here.