Stannard Rock Lighthouse in Michigan was nicknamed by its keepers “the loneliest place in the world.” Coast Guard keepers called it “Stranded Rock.” Located about 24 miles from the nearest shore on Lake Superior, it’s the most isolated light station in the United States. The construction of the lighthouse took 240,000 tons of rock and iron, and took five years to complete. With a rotating second-order Fresnel lens, the light began service on the Fourth of July in 1882.

Stannard Rock Lighthouse, Michigan. U.S. Lighthouse Society photo by Mike and Carol McKinney.

Frederick Stonehouse

The light was automated in 1962. In 2015, ownership was transferred to the Superior Watershed Partnership, an award-winning Great Lakes nonprofit organization. The lighthouse now serves as a climate research station.

Carl Lindquist

Carl Lindquist is the founder and executive director of the Superior Watershed Partnership.

Frederick Stonehouse is the author of more than thirty books including the best-selling The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. He’s also been a consultant for both the U.S. National Park Service and Parks Canada.

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