There are twenty-four one-third scale replicas of famous east and west coast lighthouses that dot the shores of the forty-mile reservoir of Lake Havasu along the Colorado River. These are actual functioning navigational aids built to the specifications of the original famous lighthouses.
The Lake Havasu Lighthouse club started because a handful of residents saw a need to improve safety for boaters on the lake. They incorporated as a non-profit organization and began recruiting additional members who helped the club chart its course.
Dedicated to the preservation, improvement and promotion of Lake Havasu and the Lake Havasu City lifestyle, their mission statement is,“to provide aids to navigation on the lake, in the form of miniature lighthouses.The lights would be replicas of famous lighthouses around thecountry. They would enhance safety for boaters and provide an additionalattraction for visitors to the lake.”
The first order of business for this fabulous club full of ingenuity was to work with local agencies, including the Coast Guard, to determine the requirements of beacons, select locations and find sponsorships. The club received guidance from the Coast Guard, Bureau of Land Management, State Parks, Mohave County Sheriff and the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe. Every member of the club is an active volunteer. They have collectively created a phenomenal combination of safety devices and tourist attractions, in a manner in which to preserve the history and legacy of unique lighthouses around the country.
Bob Keller, President of the Lighthouse Club, suggested the idea in the year 2000 because he was trying to convince any of the nine jurisdictional authorities to provide safety lights on the lake to avoid boating accidents. This idea caught on, and with Bob’s enthusiasm and the club volunteer’s dedication, it developed into the reality of truly functional navigational safety instruments and unique attractions. Who would ever think there are so many lighthouses in the middle of the desert? Bob explains that it takes approximately three to six months to construct one of the lighthouses; however, there have been a couple that were more complex and took a bit longer to finish. Even though the club has completed twenty-two of the replica lighthouses, there are another fifteen in the planning stages – five of those are already sponsored. Two of the new ones will be placed on the California side of the lake, with the state line between Arizona and California being somewhere in the center area of the lake.
The lighthouse replicas do not have residents because there are actually no houses built with them. They serve strictly as navigational aids for night boating/fishing safety, as well as markers for the major boat races Lake Havasu City is also home to, such as Desert Storm. Articles and features about the lighthouses have been published in major publications such as the New York Times, The Huffingpost.com, USA Today as well as on several television and radio programs. Many travel guides also publish information on this unusual attraction including Frommer’s, Tripadvisor.com, Fodor’s and many others that are designed to educate the public about travel destinations and what they have to offer visitors.
A survey of visitor preferences and activities was published by the Arizona Office of Tourism. It stated that the Lake Havasu City Lighthouses capture 28.9% of visitor attention; they either come here to see them, or they are included in the tour on their itinerary once they arrive.
West Quoddy was the Lighthouse Club’s first replica. It replaced the Bridgewater Channel entrance light. This first of many lighthouse replicas was dedicated on June 30, 2002. The original West Quoddy Lighthouse is located in Lubec, Main. It is the furthest Northeast lighthouse in the U.S.A. When you stand at this lighthouse in Maine, the entire U.S. is behind you! The Lake Havasu City replica is located on the island at the west end of the Bridgewater Channel. The light is operational and is eighteen feet tall. This first replica was sponsored by the Lake Havasu Yacht club. The beacon flashes sixty times per minute, and its visibility is three nautical miles.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, standingat 209 feet high, isthe tallest brick lighthousein the U.S.A. Itis located in Buxton,North Carolina. Whenit was initially built,the Cape HatterasLighthouse was only ninety-five feet tall.Sometime around1851, the height wasincreased to 150 feetfor better visibility.After the Civil War, itwas rebuilt closer tothe water and raisedto 209 feet tall to furtherincrease visibility. Because of beach erosion, the structure has been moved to safety and currently sits at the original distance from the wateras it was when first constructed. The Lake Havasu replica is thirty feettall, and to maintain the tallest lighthouse reputation, this replica is thetallest of the twenty-two currently in existence. It is located at the entranceto the personal watercraft ramp at Windsor State Park and wasdedicated on October 27, 2002. This lighthouse was sponsored by Steve Greely, owner of radio KJJJ and KNTR. The beacon flashes sixty times perminute in amber.
At the entrance tothe Erie Canal sits an architecturally stunning tower that was built in 1833, andwas named Main Buffalo Lighthouse. The sixty-six foot tower was only active until 1914, as the original light was inadequate for the increased ship traffic coming and going on the Buffalo River. Also, this light was rammed by several ships and almost destroyed completely by a major blow in 1958. The Main Buffalo Lighthouse was restored in the 1980’s. The Lake Havasu replica is twenty-one feet tall and located at the southwest entrance to the Bridgewater Channel. Sponsored by Coldwell Banker and the Judd Group, this replica was dedicated on October 26, 2003 and also flashes sixty times per minute.
Vermilion Lighthouse in Ohio was originally built in 1847 in Lake Erie. It was rebuilt in 1859 by replacing the 6th order lens with a 5th order lens. It was again rebuilt in 1877, and in 1893 the lighthouse was moved closer to the end of the pier in Vermilion. The oil in the lamp was replaced with acetylene in 1919, and within ten years the lighthouse underwent more alterations. It was dismantled and replaced by an eighteen foot skeletal tower. In 1929, some young boys noticed the lighthouse looked tipped. The lighthouse service investigated and agreed. It was fixed and shipped in pieces to Buffalo, then on to Ontario and on to the Lake Ontario Seaway. In 1992, a retired resident of Vermillion raised $55,000 to restore the lighthouse to the original 1877 look. Without the pier, the lighthouse stands in front of the Great Lakes Historical Society on the shore of Lake Erie. The Lake Havasu replica is located on the northwest section of the island just east of Split Rock Light and was dedicated on October 29, 2005. This lighthouse was sponsored by friends and family of George Darrow and flashes red sixty times per minute.
The Bay of Fundy is in Nova Scotia where the East and West Quoddy sit at the entrance to the bay. This bay has the highest tide difference in the world, which is fifty-two feet from high tide to low tide. The Canadian lighthouse named EastQuoddy is on the border making it an international lighthouse. The red cross on the lighthouse is the St. George Cross. It contains a red light, which is needed at that location. This light serves as a symbol of the friendship and cooperation that has existed between Canada and the United States for hundreds of years. The Lake Havasu replica is located on the east side of the northern entrance to the Bridgewater Channel near Lake Havasu State Parks beach #4, about ½ mile north of the London Bridge. The replica is eighteen high and flashes sixty times per minute. It was dedicated September 17, 2006 and sponsored by Vessel Assist Association of America, Bluewater Charters, Gaines Marine, VAAA Captains, Mile Riley, Campbell Redi Mix, The Lighthouse Club and family and friends.
White Shoal Lighthouse, located on northern Lake Michigan about twenty miles west of the Mackinac Bridge, is 121 feet tall and marks a hazardous area in this part of the lake. It was built in 1910 on a massive concrete base with a small octagonal building. Construction of the light was considered a major engineering feat because of its isolated location. The distinctive red and white barber pole is the only candy cane striped station in the country. The concrete base has a pole and chain fence as well as two cranes on the deck. The White Shoal Lighthouse is only visible from a boat. The Lake Havasu replica is located on the 15th green of the Island Golf Course and was dedicated on November 2, 2008. It is a memorial to Seaman Eric Sundin and flashes red sixty times per minute. This replica was sponsored by John and Janet Roe and the Ginger Sundin Family to the memory of Eric Sundin.
These are only a few examples of the brief stories of historic lighthouses with their corresponding replicas in Lake Havasu City. There are many more interesting stories about these remarkable structures either online or at our local library. What a great contribution our city enjoys because of Bob Keller and his entire team at the Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club. They are such a wonderful, active group of people who give so much to our community and continue to work behind the scenes to leave Lake Havasu City with a tremendous legacy of the most beautiful lighthouse replicas in existence. The lighthouses were constructed by many of these people working together, some with building experience, some with design experience but, all volunteers. The Lighthouse Club offers a lighthouse workshop and is always looking for craftsman and additional volunteers. Keller’s online library of the lighthouses includes their sponsors, dates of construction, as well as their original lighthouse’s history. This can be found at www.lh-lighthouseclub.org. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Lighthouse Club, please contact Bob Keller at 928-764-1699 or John Walker at 928-855-2105.
–LIVING MAGAZINE