By the Numbers: Baileys Harbor Range Lights

7

The number of rooms in the home in the Upper Range Light.

9

The number of schooners damaged by the freak “Alpena Blow” that hit Baileys Harbor on Oct. 15, 1880, when the prevailing northeast winds suddenly switched to south winds.

22

The number of feet above the waterline the Lower Range Light shone.

27

The number of years Henry Gattie served as lighthouse keeper, the longest tenure for the job.

39

The number of feet above the waterline the Upper Range Light shone.

1869

The year the Range Lights were built.

1872

The year Marcus Shaler became the first lighthouse keeper. He resigned his post in 1875, after typhoid fever killed his wife.

1875

The year Joseph Harris, Jr., became lightkeeper. He was the son of the editor of the Door County Advocate. He and his wife, Rosalie, gave birth to the first child born at the Range Lights, a daughter they named Mabel.

1923

The year the lights were switched to an unmanned acetylene gas system.

1930

The year the Range Light buildings were converted to electricity. It became the home of the new Lutheran minister and his family.

1934

The year the land occupied by the Range Lights was deeded to the Door County Park Commission, which planned to build a trailer park on the land. The Ridges Sanctuary was formed the following year to preserve the land.

1964

The year the Sanctuary hired its first director (Roy Lukes), complete with summer housing in the Upper Range Light.

1969

The year the lanterns were removed from the Range Lights and replaced with a directional light near the beach.

1990

The year the Range Lights and associated buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

1996

The year both lantern rooms were reactivated to act agaian as beacons.

2012

The year the restoration of the Lower Range Light was completed.

2015

The year the lights sprang to life again (on June 11).

2016

The year an architect was hired to prepare a report for a full restoration of the Upper Range Light. The first phase of that project was completed last month, and fundraising continues for Phase 2.

$6,000

The original cost to build the Range Lights.

Source:  ridgessanctuary.org