Lake Havasu Lighthouse Replicas – Part 1 of 3

Lake Havasu currently claims the title of “the city with most lighthouses in America,” and thanks to the Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club, Arizona someday could surpass Michigan as the state with the most lighthouses. Arizona? Really? In the middle of the desert is not a place you would think of when you think of lighthouses.  However, if you have been to Lake Havasu you may have seen the 24 replica of famous lighthouses from the East Coast, West Coast and the Great Lakes area. I have been there a few times and have seen many of these  1/3 scale replicas. They are intriguing, thus I decided to explore these lighthouses and learn a little bit about the originals.  

1. Cape Hatteras

Cape Hatteras is on the cape on the coast of North Carolina, and is protected as the namesake feature of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The first lighthouse at the cape was built in 1803; it was replaced by the current Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in 1870. At 198.48 feet from the ground to the tip of its lightning rod, it is the tallest lighthouse in the United States and one of the tallest brick lighthouses in the world.

2. Table Bluff

Table Bluff  Is located on Table Bluff just south of Humboldt Bay. Built to guide vessels away from the notoriously dangerous and rough California coastline, and to let them know proximity of the nearby bay and entrance, the lighthouse was one of the first to be automated. The lighthouse tower portion is now located at the Woodley Island Marina within the City of Eureka.

3. East Quoddy

The Head Harbour/East Quoddy lighthouse sits at the northern tip of Campobello Island in Canada at the end of a small island chain. At low tide visitors may hike down a set of stairs, and walk on an exposed part of the ocean floor, to the first island. From the first island they must then walk down a second set of stairs to reach a second island where the lighthouse is located. It was constructed in 1829, and painted with the Cross of St. George. I found it very interesting and took quite a few picture of this lighthouse from different angles.

4. West Quoddy

Located in Maine, the West Quoddy Head overlooks Quoddy Narrows, a strait between Canada and the United States. Since 1808, there has been a lighthouse there to guide ships through the waterway. The current one, with distinctive red-and-white stripes, was built in 1858. Photographs and paintings of this lighthouse are frequently reproduced. I find this easy to believe as, I was also intrigued with this beautiful lighthouse.

5.  Robert R. Manning

This lighthouse is located at the harbor entrance to Empire. Michigan. The light was dedicated to an avid local fisherman and life-long resident of Empire, Robert Manning. He  often remarked that a light was needed to guide fisherman in from Lake Michigan after evening fishing trips.

6. Vermilion

Erected on October 23, 1991 and dedicated on 6 June 1992, this lighthouse is situated on the grounds of the Inland Seas Maritime Museum near the mouth of the Vermilion River in Ohio. This is actually the second lighthouse in this location and it is a replica of the previous Vermilion Lighthouse that had been completed in 1877.

7. Split Rock 

Located southwest of Silver Bay, Minnesota, USA on the North Shore of Lake Superior, this lighthouse is considered one of the most picturesque lighthouses in the United States. It was one of five lighthouses chosen for the “Lighthouses of the Great Lakes” series, and the United States Postal Service issued a stamp that featured the light on June 17, 1995

8. Dunkrik Light – AKAPoint Gratoit

Established in 1826, this is an active lighthouse located at Point Gratiot on Lake Erie in New York  The foundation is made out of dressed stone and the lighthouse is made out of rubblestone encased in brick. The upper two thirds are painted white and the lower one third is natural, with the lantern housing being red.

Hope you enjoyed the first 8 lighthouse replicas located on Lake Havasu in Arizona. Please return soon to read about the remaining 16 lighthouses around the lake. A huge thank you to  the Lake Havasu City Convention & Visitors Bureau for the use of the lighthouse photos above.