Minnesota Lights - Duluth North Breakwater

Duluth North Breakwater Lighthouse.
8/23/2021 dwm photo

The North Breakwater Lighthouse in Duluth was placed to solve a critical need identified in 1908 and acknowledged by the Lighthouse Board.

The approach to Duluth Harbor is one of the worst and most dangerous on the whole chain of lakes. The entrance piers are only 300-feet apart and the north pier is so close to shore that a vessel making a mistake in judging the width would immediately be on the rocks. (Source LighthouseFriends.com)

Temporary lights on the north breakwater helped.  In 1909, Congress approved spending $4,000 to light the north pier.  It went online April 7, 1910 using a 5th order Fresnel lens.

Tourists and lighthouse
admirers walk the North Pier.
8/23/2021 dwm photo

 The North Breakwater is closest to the hotels, restaurants, and shops so it attracts a lot of tourists.  On the day I walked around the three pier lights, there were twice as many on the north side of the channel than the south pier.

 The light is 37 feet tall, but compared to the towering Aerial bridge and looming bluffs in Duluth, it looks like a stubby candle.  It does pack a lot of power as it keeps big ships between the unforgiving concrete piers.

The red sign on the fence (photo left) warns people to stay off during storms.  In 1967, three teen-age brothers from Duluth were on the pier during a storm that generated 10 to 15-foot waves.  The three were washed off the breakwater.  Coastguardsmen worked to rescue them to no avail and lost a comrade to the storm in the effort.

The North Breakwater lighthouse.
8/23/2021 dwm photo

The Fresnel lens was on duty until 2014 when a LED beacon replaced it.  The lens was moved into a museum.

Alone, the lighthouse is impressive.  

As part of a three light set, they look great.  More impressive is how they guide ships from the largest freshwater lake in the world into St. Louis Bay.

This light is close to the Army Corps of Engineers Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center.  It offers a place to watch incoming and outgoing ships, learn history, and purchase an item or two to remember your trip.

The Duluth North Pier Lighthouse.  8/23/2021 dwm photo