Opening Times:
May 15th - October 15th:
Historic buildings: Daily 10am-6pm
Visitor center / museum store: Daily 10am-6:30pm
October 16th - May 14th:
Thursday- Monday: 11am-4pm
Visitor center / museum store only
Description:
A single storm on Nov. 28, 1905, damaged 29 ships, fully one third of which were the uninsured property of the steel company fleet. Two of these carriers foundered on this rocky coastline, which some called "the most dangerous piece of water in the world." A delegation led by the steamship company president descended upon Washington, D.C., and in early 1907, Congress appropriated $75,000 for a lighthouse and fog signal in the vicinity of Split Rock.
The U. S. Lighthouse Service completed the 7.6-acre facility in 1910 and operated it until 1939, when the U.S. Coast Guard took command. By that time, Split Rock's picturesque setting near the North Shore highway, built in 1924, had made it "probably the most visited lighthouse in the United States."
The station closed in 1969 when modern navigational equipment made it obsolete. The State of Minnesota obtained the scenic landmark in 1971.
In 1976, administrative responsibility for the 25-acre Split Rock Lighthouse Historic Site was given to the Minnesota Historical Society. The Society continues the dual goals of preservation and interpretation of Split Rock Light Station for the generations to come.
Highlights Include:
- Restored 1920s lighthouse, keeper's home, oil house & fog signal building
- Hourly guided tours of the buildings
- Spectacular Lake Superior views & photography opportunites
- Exhibits on the lighthouse, North Shore & Lake Superior shipping
- 22 minute film Split Rock Light: Tribute to the Age of Steel