Nature Around
The Light
2010
Photos of former years (see below; the latest photos
are on top) covered many, mainly technical, aspects
of the South Fox Island Light Station and, of course,
what FILA has done there. For once, let's have a look
at what Mother Nature has on offer. |
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2009, yet another successful year...
... presented by a comparison between old and new
photos around the boat house. |
The ramp from the water to the boat house,
completely covered with up to four feet of
rocks. Foto of August 2006. |
Fall 2009: The entire ramp and the concrete
walkways from the dock to the boat house
have been
cleared.
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Several feet of rock along the
southern wall
of the boat house, photo of August
2008.
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Same place, other direction, after removing
tons of rocks.
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Summer 2009, before removing the rocks
southeast of the boat house.
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The excavation revealed some
structures
that had been hidden, like this interesting
extension
of the walkway.
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Summer 2008: Tons of rocks have already
been removed west of the boat house, but
the
south side is still buried under up to
four feet.
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Fall 2009: What a difference! |
The southeastern corner of the boat house
in August 2006, with a collapsed wall
segment,
sagging roof, missing shingles
and rotting roof
boards.
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Summer 2009 (before the big dig on the
ramp): Boat house trued and stabilized
with temporary
shear walls; entire roof
restored. Far from being
done, but saved
from total decay.
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The
extensive roof repairs of 2009, including a totally
unexpected highlight, can be viewed in a separate photo
report by George "Carp" Carpenter, former
Secretary of FILA, by
clicking
here.
Impressions of the 2008 Season |
The South Fox Light Station seen from the east anchorage.
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One of the temporary shear walls inside the boat house
before reshingling.
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The boat house with the new roof.
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The 1867 lighthouse seen from the Nickerson Fire Circle
behind the boat house.
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The doomed lean-to annex on the north side of the 1867
lighthouse.
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Cast iron stairs inside the 1867 tower.
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Lilies in front of the assistant keepers' quarters.
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One of the kitchens being used as a make-shift base
camp.
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This is the entire furniture of the Light Station.
No kidding!
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The workshop from SW, with the assistant keepers' quarters
in the background.
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The freshly painted NE wall of the workshop. The roof
still needs a lot of tlc.
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New shingles stored inside the workshop. |
The old lighthouse in the evening.
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Evening sun on the western beach. |
The dunes just north of the Light Station.
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Equipment from the fog signal house on the beach south
of the boat house. |
The Lightkeeper at anchor, with some surveying
equipment on the dock in the foreground.
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Before |
After |
Boat house heavily lopsided, interior fillled with
tons of rocks.
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Structure trued and secured, all rocks removed.
External struts were removed later.
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Boat house south wall partly collapsed (later yet
another section fell down), many roof boards rotted
through.
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Collapsed wall parts reinstalled, rotting roof
boards replaced, walkway cleared of lots of rocks.
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The old lighthouse: heavy overgrowth, roofs partly
leaking and endangered by tree branches, metal structures
totally rusty, lantern room, staircase and chimneys
open to precipitation.
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Shrub removed, tree branches cut, walkways cleared,
lantern room boarded up; metal structures chipped and
painted, chimneys capped, leaking roof sections waterproofed.
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Exterior of the cast-iron lantern room,
all
rusty, with only a few traces of the
original paint.
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Lantern room after chipping, sanding,
priming
and painting. Nine broken
windows were boarded
up.
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The oil house with rusty roof and door and
almost bare brick walls. Most walkways buried under
thick humus.
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Oil house roof and door chipped, primed and painted,
brick walls painted, walkways freed of brush and humus.
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Back yard of the Assistant Keepers'
Quarters
before clearing (August 2006).
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Same back yard after cutting bushes
and clearing walkway (Sept. 2007).
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Eaves filled with humus and vegetation.
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Eaves cleared.
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In summer 2006, the paint shop (a.k.a. carpenter's
shop) was almost completely overgrown.
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The paint shop after removal of the surrounding
shrubs, a priming coat of paint and some minor repairs.
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Front door threshold of paint shop completely gnawed
away by carpenter ants.
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Threshold repaired.
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Walkway to the skeletal tower covered
by thick
overgrowth.
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Walkway cleared.
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A dense jungle around the foundation of the skeletal
tower in August 2006.
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Foundation cleared and access to the skeletal tower
freed.
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The entrance to the fog signal building
was
almost inaccessible in August 2006.
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The very same place a year later.
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Five of the
photos above were taken from Jan Nickerson's great slide
presentation
Team Nickerson returns to South
Fox Island.
Many thanks Jan! |
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The photos below were shot by FILA board member Cathy
Allchin in early spring 2007.
They show the progress
made by our crews who worked on the light station last
year.
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Approaching the southern tip of South
Fox from south-southeast.
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The fog signal building and the 1934
skeleton tower from southwest.
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Fog signal building, skeleton tower and
old schoolhouse type lighthouse.
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Assistant keepers' quarters, old lighthouse
and oil house from south.
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The same buildings from northeast.
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Boat house and dock from east-northeast.
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During a field day on August 22, 2006 (see
here), the FILA Webmaster shot
hundreds photos
of the present state of the light station.
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Approaching the anchorage from east-southeast.
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Phil von Voigtlander guiding the dinghy
through
the rocks to the eastern beach.
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Remainders of the solid concrete dock
in front of
the boat house.
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The boat house with the partly collapsed
southeastern
corner.
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Inside the boat house. The slip rails
are partly
buried under tons of gravel.
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The old lighthouse and the little oil house
from
south. The assistant keepers'
dwelling (left) is
barely visible between
the trees.
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Heavy overgrowth at the northeastern
corner of the
assistant keepers' dwelling.
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Overgrown roof of assistant keepers'
quarters,
northern side. The gutter
is completely filled with
humus.
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Southwestern corner of the assistant
keepers' building
besieged by trees
and shrubs.
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The carpenter's shop almost invisible
under the
green.
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The fog signal building from east. The
door is hidden
in the thicket on the right. |
The foundation of the skeletal iron tower
is completely
overgrown. |
The skeletal tower and the fog signal
building seen
from the southern beach.
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The most endangered part is the shed
at the northern
wall of the old lighthouse.
The chimney cap (in
place in 1999, see
below) is lying on the collapsing
roof.
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The badly damaged roof and rear wall
of the shed.
The floor is rotting, a
serious risk especially
in view of the
lacking door and free access.
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The kitchen / dining room in the old
lighthouse.
Flaking paint galore but
otherwise in fairly good
shape. |
The master bedroom in the old lighthouse.
Some paint
remover, a good lick of
fresh paint, and it's as
good as new.
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The iron stairs and the hatch to the
lantern room.
Pretty rusty but stable. |
View from the lantern room down to
the boat house
and dock. |
One of the living rooms in the assistant
keepers'
quarters in good condition. |
The kitchen in one of the three units
in the assistant
keepers' building.
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Staircase in assistant keepers' building,
beautifully
crafted and still sound. |
Same stairs, different view. Some of
the decorative
post knobs got removed.
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Basement of the newer building. The
electrical installation
may not be up to
code, but apart from that dust
it and use it. |
Inside the carpenters shop: lots of leaves
and some
flaking paint but still fairly sound.
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A little tree growing out of one of the
chimneys. |
Back yard of the assistant keepers'
quarters after
clearing.
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Leland
Harbor, Leelanau County, one of the
possible "base
camps" for our operations.
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Approaching
South Fox Island from the south.
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The southern
tip of the island with the light station.
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View from
the east: the old lighthouse, the boathouse and the
remainders of the breakwater.
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The entire
light station including the newer skeletal tower (1934)
seen from north-east.
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We would
like to thank Cathy Allchin for these photos. |
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Zane, son of Frank Bourisseau (S.Fox lighthouse keeper
1928 - 1937)
and grandson of Louis Bourisseau (1st
assistant keeper 1885 - 1891,
keeper 1891 - 1915),
spent many summers of his youth on South Fox Island.
After his visit in 1999, he tried to go there again
in 2003, but the conditions
of the lake didn't
allow safe landing.
On that occasion, the
photo above was shot by Cathy Allchin, head of the
South Fox Island Education Association, direct predecessor
of our
Fox Island Lighthouse Association. |
The
old lighthouse, as seen from the footpath
close
to the beach.
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Zane (right)
with nephew in front
of the old lighthouse.
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Close-up
showing the lantern room
with broken window panes.
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Banister inside the keeper's quarters.
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The lantern
room of the "new" tower
seen from the
old lighthouse.
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Thank you very much Zane for these photos! |
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John, a nephew of Zane Bourisseau, kindly sent us
these photos in August 2005.
Some of them are featured
on Terry Pepper's page on South Fox Island too.
Thank you very much, John!
Approaching the light station from the east,
you
see the newer skeletal tower, the boat
house and
the old lighthouse.
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Zane and Jim sitting on the biggest remainder
of
the dock in front of the boat house.
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The sad relics of the dock. The fact the dock
got
blasted is one of the big problems our
group is
facing.
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View from the footpath.
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The old lighthouse from northeast.
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The front door of the old lighthouse.
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