Cape St. Elias Light

The Cape St. Elias Light is a lighthouse on Kayak Island in Alaska.

Cape St. Elias Light
Top of Cape St. Elias light
LocationCape St. Elias
Kayak Island
Alaska
United States
Coordinates59°47′54″N 144°35′56″W
Tower
Foundationrock
Constructionconcrete tower
Automated1974
Height55 feet (17 m)
Shapesquare tower at one corner of fog signal building.
Markingsart deco architecture
white tower, red lantern
Power sourcesolar power Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorCape St. Elias Lighthouse Keepers Association[1] [2]
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Light
First lit1916
Focal height85 feet (26 m)
LensThird-order Fresnel lens (original), VRB-25 aerobeacon (current)
Range17 nautical miles (31 km; 20 mi)
CharacteristicFl W 10s.
obscured from 160° to 287° and from 018.5 to 027°
emergency light (Fl W 6s) of reduced intensity when main light is extinguished.
Cape St. Elias Lighthouse
Alaska Heritage Resources Survey
Nearest cityKatalla, Alaska
Arealess than one acre
Built1915
NRHP reference No.75002157[3]
AHRS No.XMI-003
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 18, 1975
Designated AHRS1970

History

Congress approved the construction of a light station at Cape St. Elias in October 1913, appropriating $115,000 for the construction. construction began in 1915 and a third order Fresnel lens was installed. In 1927 the station was equipped with radio beacon facilities, which was the second such facility in Alaska. The light was automated by the United States Coast Guard in 1974. In 1998 a solar powered Vega optic was installed, replacing the original lens, which is in the Cordova Museum in Cordova, Alaska. Cape St. Elias Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It is now being leased by the Cape St. Elias Lightkeepers Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, restoring and sharing the lighthouse.[4]

It began operations in 1916, which was the year that the Alaska Engineering Commission started building the Alaska Railroad "which eventually established Southcentral Alaska as the economic hub of all Alaska". This lighthouse "proved to be an indispensable navigational aid along the shipping lanes from the contiguous American states and Southeastern Alaska to Cordova, Valdez, Seward, and Anchorage." Those ports could be notified of ships arriving, by station keeper radio that also was installed in 1916.[5]

Climate
Climate data for Cape St. Elias Light, Alaska
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 49
(9)		 51
(11)		 62
(17)		 65
(18)		 74
(23)		 71
(22)		 78
(26)		 76
(24)		 75
(24)		 65
(18)		 55
(13)		 51
(11)		 78
(26)
Average high °F (°C) 34.6
(1.4)		 36.6
(2.6)		 37.2
(2.9)		 42.6
(5.9)		 48.0
(8.9)		 53.6
(12.0)		 57.7
(14.3)		 58.3
(14.6)		 55.2
(12.9)		 47.6
(8.7)		 40.8
(4.9)		 36.7
(2.6)		 45.7
(7.6)
Daily mean °F (°C) 31.0
(−0.6)		 33.2
(0.7)		 33.4
(0.8)		 38.3
(3.5)		 43.9
(6.6)		 49.6
(9.8)		 53.7
(12.1)		 54.5
(12.5)		 51.1
(10.6)		 43.4
(6.3)		 37.3
(2.9)		 33.3
(0.7)		 41.9
(5.5)
Average low °F (°C) 27.4
(−2.6)		 29.8
(−1.2)		 29.5
(−1.4)		 33.9
(1.1)		 39.7
(4.3)		 45.5
(7.5)		 49.7
(9.8)		 50.7
(10.4)		 46.9
(8.3)		 39.2
(4.0)		 33.7
(0.9)		 29.8
(−1.2)		 38.0
(3.3)
Record low °F (°C) 4
(−16)		 1
(−17)		 8
(−13)		 17
(−8)		 25
(−4)		 36
(2)		 30
(−1)		 33
(1)		 23
(−5)		 13
(−11)		 12
(−11)		 0
(−18)		 0
(−18)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 7.43
(189)		 7.12
(181)		 6.68
(170)		 6.15
(156)		 6.00
(152)		 4.08
(104)		 7.09
(180)		 9.66
(245)		 12.00
(305)		 12.41
(315)		 9.58
(243)		 9.70
(246)		 97.90
(2,487)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 22.1
(56)		 18.6
(47)		 13.2
(34)		 4.3
(11)		 0.2
(0.51)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 1.6
(4.1)		 7.1
(18)		 19.7
(50)		 86.8
(220)

See also

References
  1. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Alaska". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  2. Alaska Historic Light Station Information & Photography USCG. Retrieved 7 June 2016
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Alaska" (PDF). United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  5. C. M. Brown (March 10, 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Cape St. Elias Lighthouse". National Park Service. and accompanying photo from 1972


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