# Cana Island Light

- **Country:** United States
- **Region:** Wisconsin
- **Coordinates:** 45.088300, -87.046700
- **Location Text:** Baileys Harbor
- **Year Automated:** 1945
- **Year First Lit:** 1870
- **Year Deactivated:** Active
- **Summary Written At:** 2026-10-19 02:00:10

The Cana Island Light crowns a small island just north of Baileys Harbor in Door County, Wisconsin, where it serves as an aid to navigation for vessels entering the harbor. It was constructed to replace the earlier Baileys Harbor Lighthouse.  

The cylindrical tower rises 89 ft from a dressed‑stone foundation, its walls originally built of cream‑city brick and later sheathed in a steel shell in 1902 to protect it from further deterioration. A balcony circles the tower just below the lantern room, and the beacon is a fixed white (F W) light that shines out to 17 nmi, focused by a third‑order Fresnel lens.  

Construction of the station began in 1869 and the beacon was first lit the following year. The lighthouse, built to replace the Baileys Harbor Light, originally suffered rapid brick deterioration, leading to the steel cladding added in 1902. It was automated in 1945, ending the need for a full‑time keeper, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1976.  

The light remains an active navigational aid under the United States Coast Guard, while the Door County Maritime Museum serves as managing agent and operates tours of the tower and the keeper’s quarters, which have welcomed visitors since the 1970s. The island endured a severe storm on August 9, 2025, losing roughly 30 % of its trees.

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cana_Island_Light (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)