Coast Guard Station

Originally constructed in 1886 what is today the Sturgeon Bay Coast Guard Station is located on the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal.


Work began on the light in 1898 with the excavation and pouring of a huge twenty-nine foot square block of concrete with a depth of eight feet.
(click on image to enlarge)

At the center of this foundation, a seventy-eight foot tall double-walled steel cylinder, eight feet in diameter, was raised. Supported by buttresses, the structure was secured to the concrete pad using two-inch diameter bolts some ninety inches in length, which had been cast deep into the concrete.


At the top of the cylinder a twelve foot diameter watch room was installed. The watch room was in turn capped by a cast iron lantern room approximately eighteen feet tall and eight feet wide. While most lantern rooms were multi-sided, this lantern room was circular in design.


The light was officially placed into service on March 17, 1899, with a Third Order Fresnel lens.



Nowadays missions include search and rescue and law enforcement as well as ice rescue during the winter months.


The station operates a 41’ Utility Boat and a 25’ Response Boat for both SAR and LE and also uses a 20’ Airboat during the winter for Ice Rescue operations. The typical case load during the summer is between 150-200 cases with over 200 LE boarding’s and 10-20 SAR ice rescue cases during the winter.


Just last week four fisherman from Minnesota had to be rescued when their boat sank in heavy seas.


Learn more about problems with the light in the early years here.