Near Fish Creek in Door County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Eagle Bluff Lighthouse
Peninsula's Maritime Heritage
Economic growth and settlement in Door County depended on swift and secure water transportation. To guide ships safely through the narrow Strawberry Channel, the federal government built Eagle Bluff Lighthouse in 1868 for a cost of $12,000. The structure, made of cream-colored Milwaukee brick, is perched atop a 40-foot bluff. Keeper Henry Stanley illuminated the original third-and-one-half order Fresnel lens on October 15th, six months after construction began.
Ephraim native Sam Hanson served as Assistant Lighthouse Keeper at Chambers Island from 1909-1922. Clifford Hanson, standing right, died at age 18. He was walking across the ice in April, 1922, to fetch the mail in Fish Creek. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse Keeper Peter Coughlin helplessly watched the boy fall through.
From the log of Lighthouse Keeper Peter Coughlin
10 April 1922
The Hanson boy drowned in the channel near Fish Creek. I tried my best to save him. Had to walk to Fish Creek for help, the telephone out of order.
12 April 1922
Keeper lit the light in the tower tonight for a small boat going to Chambers Island to to get Sam Hanson the assistant there to attend his boys funeral.
Eagle Bluff Lighthouse Keepers • Tenure
Henry Stanley 1868 - 1883 Born in Norway. Mines for gold in California, 1849. Marries German Katherine Hesh. Twelve-year-old son John dies in 1870. Daughter Elizabeth dies in 1881.
William Duclon 1883 - 1918 Born in New York. Serves in Company K of the 14th New York Regiment Heavy Artillery, Civil War. Marries Julia Davenport, of Ottawa ancestry. Seven sons. Many Duclons are buried in Blossomburg Cemetery, located in Peninsula State Park.
Peter Coughlin 1919 - 1926 Born in Canada. Marries widow Margaret Sullivan while serving as keeper at Alperia, Michigan. Assumes duties at Eagle Bluff at age 62.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Man-Made Features • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list.
Location. 45° 10.122′ N, 87° 14.209′ W. Marker is near Fish Creek, Wisconsin, in Door County. Marker can be reached from Shore Road 3.6 miles north of Main Street (Wisconsin Highway 42), on the left when traveling north. Marker is at Eagle Bluff Lighthouse in Peninsula State Park. Fee area; a vehicle admission sticker is required. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10249 Shore Road, Fish Creek WI 54212, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Oak Leaf Anchor (within shouting distance of this marker); Island Paradise (approx. 0.8 miles away); Why Green Bay? (approx. 1.1 miles away); Privilege in the Park (approx. 1.7 miles away); A State Park System is Formed (approx. 1.8 miles away); Life on the Ledge (approx. 1.9 miles away); A Road Less Traveled (approx. 2.1 miles away); Shorelines and Sedge Meadows (approx. 2.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fish Creek.
More about this marker. inset & captions:
• Map showing Strawberry Islands.
• Maritime traffic reached its peak in the early 1900s with approximately 4,000 vessels traveling Green Bay waters in the nine-month navigation season.
• Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, circa 1920.
• Julia and William Duclon
• The Duclon's seven sons.
Also see . . .
1. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse. History. (Submitted on July 12, 2014.)
2. Peninsula State Park. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Peninsula State Park History. (Submitted on July 12, 2014.)
Additional keywords. Eagle Lighthouse
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2014, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 401 times since then and 3 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. submitted on July 12, 2014, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.