Fourteen Foot Shoal, MI

Photographer: Roy B. Westin

Photo courtesy of: U.S. Coast Guard

Fourteen Foot Shoal

Northern Lake Huron, MI

Built : 1930

Type : Cylindrical, steel

Status : Active

Location : The Straits of Mackinaw South Channel. Northern Lake Huron near the Cheboygan harbor entrance.

Height : 60 feet

Access : Boat

The Fourteen Foot Shoal: This dangerous shoal is located on the Straits of Mackinaw South Channel Northeast of the entrance to Cheboygan Harbor.

Local Attraction: The harbor is home port to the one of a kind ice breaker Mackinaw which can be seen sometimes in port.

History of the Light : A base camp from Government Island, along with all of the equipment, was moved to the mouth of the Cheboygan River in 1927 after the completion of the Martin Reef lighthouse. This was then used for construction of the Fourteen Foot Shoal and Poe Reef lighthouses.

A foundation crib and foundation was constructed with a similar process to that of the Martin Reef lighthouse. A pier was constructed of concrete measuring 50 feet square and 15 feet tall with an external "wave flare" and internal storage areas.

The foundation supports a white steel tower measuring 28 feet by 34 feet, covered with 1/4" steel sheeting. The cylindrical tower measures 6 feet in diameter by 24 feet above the hipped roof. Atop the tower was a 10 sided cast iron lantern housing a Fourth Order Fresnel lens. The lantern now exhibits an automated, 250 millimeter plastic lens. A lens focal plane of 55 feet above lake level is produced. This lighthouse, as an early experiment in off-site lighthouse operation, had it's beacon operated by radio control from the Poe Reef light station.