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Photo
Gallery
On this page, you can quickly scroll up and
down to find something interesting.
Then you can click on any
picture to view it in our Gallery Viewer (in a
separate browser
window / tag, depending on the settings of your browser).
Inside the Gallery Viewer you can easily navigate
forward and backward.
Many more pictures can be found on the News pages.
INDEX (latest entries
at the top)
2006 - 2015, an Overview of Progress Made
FILA's Social Side (2007
- 2014)
Panoramic
Photos 2013
2012: Island
and Mainland
Nature
Around the Light (2010)
2009, Yet Another Successful Year
Work Done on the Island 2006 - 2007
Aerial Photos
of the Light Station Spring 2007
The
Light Station in August 2006
Aerial Photos Fall 2003
Photos shot by Zane Bourisseau 1999
Photos shot by John Bourisseau 1999
Gallery Viewer ©
2016 Hans Joerg Rothenberger, FILA Webmaster
The original Lighthouse, built 1867,
in summer 2006,
with heavy overgrowth. The lantern
room is exposed
to the elements. Roofs are leaking
and endangered by
dead trees and moss.
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Summer 2013: Overgrowth and dead trees
removed,
walkways dug out, lantern room protected,
metal
structures painted after rust removal,damaged
roof
replaced. Quite a difference!
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The lean-to at the back side of the 1867
Lighthouse in
2007: roof beyond repair already,
huge holes in the
floor and things deteriorating
even much more over the
years until we got the
permission for a rebuild.
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Summer 2015: lean-to rebuilt, outside
almost finished, interior waiting for fitting-out, doors
and windows yet to be installed. Still a lot to do for
FILA volunteers, but a very important step for our group.
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To see what the lean-to looked like briefly
before the rebuild, please click here.
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The Boat House in summer 2006: heavily
listing, actu-
ally near collapse, wide sections
of the south wall (left)
foundered, roof sagging
and leaking, all doors missing,
most window panes
broken, interior and surroundings
covered with
up to four feet of cobbles from the beach,
and
vegetation invading the building.
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Summer 2015: straightened and stabilized
by internal
shear walls (invisible from the outside),
walls repaired,
roof rebuilt, countless tons of
pebbles removed inside
and out, walkways and boat
ramp rails dug out, new
doors built and installed,
windows repaired, walls
painted. Result: a little
gem welcoming visitors.
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The Workshop in 2006, almost overgrown,
roof in poor
condition, walls denuded of paint,
partly rotting.
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Summer 2015: standing in its little clearing,
new
shingles, neatly painted walls and window frames.
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Top of page
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Besides all the volunteer work, FILA,
of course, has a very social side too.
Here is a selection of photos from
the years 2007 - 2014 in chronological order, covering
meetings, encounters and fun at work, the people
behind FILA, so to say.
Some of these pictures can be found
on the (archived) News pages too, but they are
worth being included here.
(Persons are listed
from left to right in the captions.) |
Volunteers from the Grand Traverse Light-
house Museum team working on the Work-
shop,
spring 2007. Compare the structure
with the photo
above!
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George "Carp" Carpenter cooking
dinner
for special visitors: two kayakers on their
way from Sleeping Bear to Bois Blanc
Island;
spring 2007.
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The only "furniture" inside
the Assistant Keepers' Quarters
in spring 2007,
wine in plastic mugs, but hey, who cares?
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Early morning, readying for departure
to Beaver Island:
John McKinney, Steve Zimmerman,
Jim Viviano, Carp.
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Summer 2008: John McKinney, Phil von
Voigtlander,
Sandy Bradshaw and H. Joerg Rothenberger.
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A dinghy load: Carp, Sandy with Laddie,
Marcia
Billings (Summer 2009).
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Preparing dinner at the fire pit: Willie
and Carol Lee,
Marcia and Sandy (2009).
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Thunderstorm Canteen in the Boat House:
Willie, Marcia,
Carol, Laddie and Sandy (2009).
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Party at the Northport Marina Pavilion
2009: Craigh
Gulseth, Anna Sylvester (both DNR),
Denise Sachau
(SHPO) and John McKinney (FILA President).
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Breakfast at the 45th Parallel Cafe in
Suttons Bay the
morning after the Northport Party:
Brian Lijewski, Denise
Sachau (both SHPO), Sandy
and Joerg.
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The crew for the Historic Structures
Report (HSR) in 2010:
Joerg, Cathy Allchin, Phil,
Heather Landis, Ken Czapski,
Carp, Chris Young
and Jerry Spears.
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HSR crew aboard the Lightkeeper, FILA's "flagship,"
on the
way to the Light Station: Ken, Jerry, Cathy and
Captain Phil.
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Chris, Phil, Ken and Heather on the way
to the
Lightkeeper after completion of the HSR research.
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Linda Henry, retired Park Ranger, preparing
dinner
at the fire pit in the legendary Nickerson
Fire Circle.
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2013: Because of all the flaking lead
paint inside the buildings, we normally camp near the
Nickerson Fire Circle.
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End of Mission: Don Stauffer, Laddie,
Sandy and Gary
Stauffer boarding the Lightkeeper.
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Breakfast on the dock (still 2013): Anita
and Terry Pratt
with Sandy and Laddie.
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Summer 2014: John Wells, Gary Stauffer,
Dick Zaebst
and Karen Wells enjoying dinner at
one of the picnic
tables.
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Laddie the Lighthouse pooch sometimes
jumps in the
dinghy and just waits for a ride!
(Summer 2014.)
Top of page
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Here
are four great pictures shot by Heather Landis in June 2013.
For the article in the News Archives please click here.
The
Light Station seen from the eastern anchorage.
The
stone wall along the walkway on the south side of the Boat House.
Inside
the lantern room of the 1934 Skeleton Tower, starring Cathy Allchin.
Stunning
view from the Skeleton Tower, looking NNW.
And here
is one submitted by Don Stauffer:
The 1934 Skeleton Tower, the Boat House and the 1867
Lighthouse in October 2013.
Top of page
That was the year the Islander
came into the picture, a boat bought by two FILA board members,
somewhat smaller that the Lightkeeper but much less fuel-hungry.
And hopefully less temperamental too....
The Islander before her maiden voyage on behalf of FILA.
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John McKinney and John Wells removing
rust
from the rails in the Boat House.
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John Wells says he has a love affair
with Rust-Oleum.
Seems legit.
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Ah yeah, and the Islander got a new dinghy too. The
days of the
good ole little red dinghy were gone.
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Unlike the much heavier Lightkeeper, the Islander can be hauled out fairly easily.
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Meanwhile, as in former
years, FILA went on participating in local and regional events to
promote our cause.
Sandy Bradshaw and former FILA board
member Greg Reisig at an Inland
Seas event in Suttons Bay
in June.
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Also in June, Sandy briefed Stef Staley
of the Grand Traverse Lighthouse and the Lieutenant
Governor of Michigan, Hon. Brian Calley.
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Sandy, Cathy Allchin, John Wells and
Don Stauffer in the FILA booth at the Classic Boat Show
in Suttons Bay in July.
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The FILA booth at the Port Oneida Fair
in August. This time, the tent was provided by the fair.
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Inside the booth at the Port Oneida Fair.
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Booth in Fishtown in September, with
FILA's new tent.
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Top of page
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Photos of former years (see below; the newer 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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Top of page
... 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
cobbles. Photo 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 cobbles along the
southern wall
of the Boat House, photo of August
2008.
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Same place, opposite direction, after
removing
tons of cobbles.
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Summer 2008, 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 cobbles 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.
Top of page
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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.
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The 1867 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 Building
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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Top of page
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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 partly cleared 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 Workshop was almost
completely
overgrown.
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The Workshop after removal of the surrounding
shrubs, a priming coat of paint and some minor
repairs.
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Front door threshold of workshop 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!
Top of page
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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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Top of page
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 cobble.
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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' Quarters.
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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' Quarters
besieged by trees and shrubs.
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The Workshop 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 lean-to
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
lead 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. You can see that the world is round!
(Just kidding.) |
One of the living rooms in the Assistant
Keepers' Quarters
in relatively good condition. |
The kitchen in one of the three units
in the Assistant
Keepers' Quarters.
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Staircase in Assistant Keepers' quarters,
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
installa-
tion may not be up to code, but apart
from that dust it
and use it. |
Inside the Workshop: 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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Top of page
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 Boat House 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. |
Top of page
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 Assistant 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! |
Top of page
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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If you have photos, drawings, paintings,
construction plans or whatever collecting dust somewhere
in your attic, please share them with us, if possible
together with some additional information such as date,
name of the photographer, details shown in the pictures,
possible copyright issues etc..
You can send digitized material to
the
or snail-mail
paper copies to the Webmaster's
Assistant:
Sandra Serra Bradshaw
1360 S.
Bay View Trail
Suttons Bay, MI 49682-9663
We will scan your documents and send
them back to you asap.
Many thanks for your cooperation. |
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