Jacobsville (Portage River) Light
Jacobsville, Michigan, USA
Lake Superior
Portage River Light is located in the tiny hamlet of Jacobsville on the east side of the Keweenaw Peninsula. It was built in 1869 at a cost of $12,000 to replace an earlier light dating from 1855. The white stone tower is 45' high; the attached brick house is 25' x 40'. Keepers included J.B. Crebessa (1873-78) and George Craig (1879-1890).
This is only the latest of several light structures built in this area. They marked the eastern entrance to the Keweenaw Waterway (aka Portage River and Portage Ship Canal), a canal that cuts across the Keweenaw Peninsula and saves about a hundred miles of sailing around the tip of the peninsula.
Jacobsville Light operated from 1869 until 1919. It once contained a Fifth Order Fresnel lens. The focal plane is 65' above the waters of Keweenaw Bay. The building was sold in 1958 for $18,251 and is now a private residence.
This lighthouse is listed with Historic Engineering & Industrial Sites In Michigan and the National Register of Historic Places.
The east view photo shown here was taken in August, 2001. The north view photos were taken on a foggy autumn day in October of 1983.
History
| 1853 | Congress approved construction of a lighthouse one mile to the east of the entrance into Portage River on the west shore of Keweenaw Bay. Portage River was the waterway into the twin cities of Houghton / Hancock. |
| 1855–56 | Original white stone lighthouse put into operation. |
| 1870 | Replaced with single story rectangular brick keeper's building and an attached conical stone tower at a cost of $12,000 |
| 1900 | Deactivated; replaced by Keweenaw Pier Lights |
| 1920 | Keweenaw Lower Entrance Light built. |
Thanks to the Keweenaw County Historical Society for the information in the 'History' section above. This information was originally published in their booklet '10 Lights — The Lighthouses of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
 East View |
 North View 1 |
 North View 2 |