As I stated on Tuesday, my Door County Lighthouse trip started in Two Rivers, WI. Two Rivers is home to the East and West Twin Rivers (hence its name), Ice Cream Sundae, commercial fishing, two lighthouses, and numerous members of the Klein family. Since it is the hometown of my Dad, his brothers and sisters, and several other close family members, I have visited Two Rivers countless times during my 32 years of life (almost every single one of those years). Some may say I’m crazy! Some may say I’m lucky! I personally believe that I’m both. Two Rivers does hold a special place in my heart, and I have found two new reasons to love Two Rivers: the Two Rivers North Pierhead Light and Rawley Point Lighthouse.
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| Two Rivers North Pierhead Light-Rogers Fishing Village |
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| Rawley Point Lighthouse |
The Two Rivers North Pierhead Light was built in 1886 to mark the harbor entrance of a growing fishing village. The red wooden pierhead stood 36 feet tall on the north pier of Two Rivers Harbor where a fixed red light shined brightly. The lantern room is a decagonal cast-iron structure with a sixth-order Fresnel lens and oil wick lamp. By 1928, the pierhead received extensive repairs and was electrified. In 1969, the pierhead was retired and replaced by a steel tower with an automated light (boring). Following its retirement the upper portion of the pierhead was moved to the Rogers Street Fishing Village on the East Twin River. A wooden staircase leads you up to an observation platform to overlook the river and the surrounding area. At the museum, you can see a replica engine room, Buddy O the Lake Michigan fishing tug and various fishing artifacts.
About five miles north of the Two Rivers North Pierhead Light, located in the Point Beach State Park and a few miles away from Port Sandy Bay Restaurant, the Rawley Point Lighthouse stands. Right now, this lighthouse comes in close second to the Sherwood Point Lighthouse as one of my favorite lighthouses because of its location. Several lighthouses stood in the area where Rawley Point does today and has been known by several different names: Twin River Point Light, Twin Rivers Light, Point Beach Light, and Two Rivers Lighthouse. The first one of these lights was built in 1854. The current steel erector-style structure was originally located in Chicago and was part of the 1893 Columbian Exposition hosted there. Following the exposition, the structure was taken down and rebuilt behind the keeper’s house, which was part of one of the original lighthouses. The white, eight-legged steel structure stands 111 feet high, dwarfing the house, and is the second tallest lighthouse in Wisconsin (Michigan Island Light Tower of the Apostle Islands, WI, stands 112 ft.). Below the decagonal lantern room sits two watchrooms with ornate fencing, a unique characteristic.
Today, the Rawley Point Lighthouse is a vacation destination used for U.S. Coast Guard staff and is off limits to the public. However, if you walk the tree line and sandy, boardwalk trails near the lighthouse, like I did, you can see it and get some great pictures. These trails lead to the shores of Lake Michigan, and the views are quite serene and peaceful. At one point while I was walking the trails, I kicked off my shoes and socks to walk in the soft sand, which was surprisingly warm still for being October. So between the unique structure of the lighthouse and its peaceful landscape, I found it to be one of my favorites. If I didn’t have to rush off to visit the next lighthouses on my journey, I could have spent all day viewing the lighthouse and sinking my toes in the sand.
One last note, besides sharing the same city only five miles apart, the Two Rivers North Pierhead Light and Rawley Point Lighthouse shared lighthouse keepers. The keeper lived at Rawley Point and made the trek south to check on the pierhead…two for the price of one.
This concludes my latest visit to Two Rivers. Next stop Kewaunee and Algoma! Until next time, take care and talk to you soon!
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