West Sister Island Light Tower Located on West Sister Island in western Lake Erie, between Toledo and Put-In-Bay. The light marks the west end of the South Passage through the Bass Islands. It is 8 miles off the Ohio shoreline. Originally built in 1847, the tower was renovated and raised in 1868, when a new keepers dwelling was built. The 55-foot white stucco conical tower originally contained a Fourth Order Fresnel Lens with a white light. The light was automated in 1937 and the following year the island was designated a National Wildlife Preserve. The keeper's dwelling was destroyed during World War II when the U.S. Army used the island for artillery practice. Only the tower remains without a lantern, equipped with a 300 mm plastic lens and solar power cell. All other buildings have been destroyed. The island now serves as a national wildlife refuge, and the formerly lush foliage has been destroyed by cormorants. Boaters who get close to the island can see remnants of the tramway that once was used by the light keepers to transfer supplies from the lighthouse tender to the station. The historical photographs and text are displayed courtesy of the Great Lakes Historical Society, Vermilion, Ohio. They were taken from the Society's 2003 Calendar and were edited by Al Hart. Image may not be reproduced with the expressed permission of GLHS. |
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