Mississippi River Lighthouses and Lightships- Earliest Developments and Initiatives
Constructing and maintaining a lighthouse at or near the mouth of the Mississippi River have posed a significant challenge to the U. S. government dating back as early as 1817. But before dealing with the subject of lighthouses and lightships, let’s briefly review the geography, geology, and hydrology of the lower Mississippi River. As the sediment flows out of the mouth of the river into the Gulf of Mexico, it settles and with time forms land masses through which branches of the river cuts passes. It’s a complicated area geographically and hydrologically that is continually changing but within the timeframe principally of interest to us- the late 17th Century to the present- the mouth of the river can generally be characterized by four principal passes emanating from a point on the river designated as the Head of Passes. By definition, the Head of Passes is considered to be the mouth of the river. The passes are: Southwest Pass to the west; Pass-a- Loutre to the east; South Pass (center); and Southeast Pass that lies between South Pass and Pass-aLoutre. In terms of our interests, access to Southeast Pass from the Gulf during the 18th and 19th Centuries could be gained via Northeast Pass. Given the shape of the land masses and the location of the passes, the area is often referred to as the “Bird’s Foot Delta.” At the present time, the U. S. Corps of Engineers maintains a 45-ft deep shipping channel from the mouth of Southwest Pass to Baton Rouge making the Port of Baton Rouge the farthest inland deep-water port. Historically, over the period of interest, vessels have successfully transited all of the passes. At times, one or another of the passes was favored by mariners. It wasn’t until the early 1800’s that steam powered vessels began to be produced in significant numbers and slowly replacing sailing vessels that faced significant challenges navigating the Mississippi River passes and the remainder of the river to reach New Orleans due to adverse currents and winds. Coinciding with the increasing production of steam-powered vessels was the significant economic expansion of New Orleans leading to greater freight and passenger vessel traffic. This circumstance dictated the need for one or more lighthouses to safely guide vessels through the complexity of the Mississippi River delta. In planning and in constructing lighthouses, consideration had to be given to geological, hydrological, and climatic factors such as flooding, hurricanes, and soft, erodible soils as well as the complex delta geography. Over the years, different passes have gained favor with mariners mainly dependent on the draft of the various passes to the Head of Passes. This circumstance dictated a continuous re-evaluation of lighthouse needs and new installations at the various Mississippi River passes.
The first explorer to place what might be termed a navigation marker on the Mississippi River was René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in April 1682. The illustration above is one artist’s depiction of that event. La Salle’s expedition had travelled down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico and erected the marker claiming the Mississippi Basin for France and naming to lands, La Louisiana in honor of Louis XIV. It is unclear at which of the four Mississippi River passes that LaSalle posted the marker, although Cipra (1997) suggested that it was South Pass. We do know that La Salle was not able to locate the marker or, in fact, any of the Mississippi River passes on his return voyage to La Louisiana via the Gulf in 1684, a voyage that ultimately resulted in his death.
As early as 1699, the French built a rudimentary fort known as La Balize (the “Seamark”) that somewhat later was the first location that a navigation light was shown. It is believed that La Balize was located somewhat north of Northeast Pass on Southeast Pass. However, because of the complexity of the delta, it’s possible that it might have been located on South Pass. It is not known exactly when a light was first shown at La Balize. It has been documented that a 62- ft. unlit tower was constructed at the site by French engineer, Adrien de Pauger, in 1721. While the exact date is unknown, the poor soil conditions at the original site were judged to be unsatisfactory thus dictating the relocation of La Balize to a site near the Head of Passes. During the early 1740’s, gales and hurricanes effectively wiped out the La Balize settlement, but it was rebuilt on an island, named Isle San Carlos, that had recently emerged nearby. Spanish colonial rule of La Louisiana was established in 1763. The Spanish Governor Don Antonio E. Ullola directed that a lighthouse should be erected at the site. The tower was reported to have been completed in about 1767 but was destroyed in the hurricane of October 7-10, 1778. Other structures were subsequently constructed by Spanish forces, the last of which was completed in 1794. Upon the arrival of U. S. officials in 1803 following the Louisiana Purchase, the Spanish tower was in poor condition and subject to periodic flooding. Upon taking office as Governor of the Louisiana Territory, William C. C. Claiborne requested funds to “mark the river.” Whereas the U. S. Congress authorized $25,000 to repair the tower and incorporate a light, it was not until 1817 that a temporary light was installed in the tower. A lighthouse keeper was assigned to the tower but only served until 1821 at which time a lightship, Aurora Borealis, replaced the tower. The Northeast Pass continued to shoal and by mid-century proved to be impassable thus ending the historical role of La Balize in Mississippi River navigation.
Coinciding with the efforts to repair and upgrade the La Balize Tower, as early as 1803 plans were initiated to construct an 80-ft. to 100-ft. masonry tower at a site on Northeast Pass, named Frank’s Island, within a stone’s throw of La Balize. The architect for the new tower was Benjamin Henry Latrobe, designer of the rebuilt U. S. Capitol complex following the War of 1812. While a highly recognized architect, it was apparent that he was not adequately familiar with the soil and hydrologic conditions in the Mississippi River Delta. One of Latrobe’s designs for the lighthouse is shown here. While a structure of monumental proportions and aesthetics, it was totally unsuited for the conditions in the Mississippi River delta. Latrobe did make some effort to address the prevailing conditions in the design of the foundation system for the tower, the complexity of his design contributed to the lack of respondents to the advertisement for bids published in May 1807. Despite the fact that a contractor, Robert Alexander of Washington , D.C., finally agreed to undertake the project, hostilities with England and the War of 1812 (June 1812- February 1815) basically placed the project on an indefinite hold. While I haven’t been able to independently confirm the account, Cipra (1997) reported that Latrobe’s son, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, simplified his father’s design and advertised the project for bids in November 1816. Again, no bids were received despite the fact that the value of the contract had been increased from $25,000 to $55,000. Not to be deterred, an official of the U. S. Treasury Department at the time prevailed upon Winslow Lewis to undertake the project. That official was likely Stephen Pleasonton. Pleasonton is noted for his “singularly bureaucratic work in overseeing the Treasury Department’s Lighthouse Establishment.” Lewis seemingly had no significant construction experience having gained his reputation as a ropemaker, inventor, and chandler. While agreeing to undertake the project, Lewis insisted on three provisions: (1) that he would be exonerated if he failed; (2) the government would provide an inspector to ensure the project was completed in compliance with the plans; and (3) that he would accept no less than $79,000 making it the costliest lighthouse for decades to come. Lewis initiated construction of the tower in February 1818. Nearing completion in January 1819, one side of the foundation suddenly settled resulting in a network of cracks in the masonry. Despite the failure, Lewis was fully paid for materials and his labor in compliance with one of the three provisions he demanded in his contract with the U. S. Government.
Not to be deterred, Winslow offered to rebuild the tower on the basis of his own foundation design, using the original materials, and at a cost of less than $10,000. Further, he guaranteed the success of his efforts. True to his word, the tower was completed by Lewis and lit in March 1823. Given this success, the lightship, Aurora Borealis, that had been stationed in the Northeast Pass was released for duty at Pensacola. As completed, the Frank’s Island Lighthouse rose 82-ft. above sea level and housed 30 lamps. It remained the tallest and most powerful lighthouse on the Gulf Coast until 1858. Ironically, almost as soon as the lighthouse was operational, passage via the Northeast Pass was no longer favored by mariners. Mariners however did use the lighthouse as a navigational aid but to Southwest Pass. In recognition of this circumstance, Lewis was contracted to build lighthouses at the entrances to Southwest and South Passes in 1831.
Irrespective of mariners choosing other passes into the Mississippi River, the Frank’s Island Lighthouse served as an effective navigation aid until 1856 at which time a lighthouse was constructed at Pass-a-Loutre. As somewhat a memorial to Lewis’s genius as a lighthouse builder, despite sinking some 20-ft. during the intervening period, the tower continued to stand until 2002 at which time what remained of the tower fell over.
I found somewhat conflicting accounts concerning the lightship, Aurora Borealis, so what follows is solely the account of Cipra (1997). In response to the failure of the Frank’s Island Lighthouse tower in early 1820 (Note: This date conflicts with the 1819 date cited earlier.), Congress authorized the fabrication of a lightship for temporary service at the site. Ultimately, a 50-ton displacement wooden ship bolted with iron was completed. Deck accommodations included a six-man bunkhouse and galley. A set of masts 50-ft. in height were configured to accommodate a wood and copper lantern 4 ½-ft. in diameter and 4-ft. tall. The lantern could be raised and lowered between the two masts and was gimbled to maintain a horizontal orientation of the light despite the motion of the ship. (Note: Whereas the rendering was reported to be that of the Aurora Borealis, it doesn’t match the two-mast description of Cipra.) The ship arrived at New Orleans for service in December 1820 only to experience a delay due to difficulties in recruiting a skipper and crew for the lightship because of the low wages offered- $400/year. Through negotiations, Captain William Cranston was hired to skipper the lightship that was finally placed into service in March 1821 anchored at Wallace’s Island in close proximity to Frank’s Island. The lightship remained at the site until Lewis completed his lighthouse in March 1823 and was then repaired and relocated to the entrance to Pensacola Bay. As such, Aurora Borealis, was the first lightship that was traceable from one station to another. The above drawing of the lighthouse was made as part of a Historical American Buildings Survey (HABS) in 1934.
Other Mississippi River delta lighthouses and lightships followed those discussed herein and will be described in a subsequent brief.
Sources
Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle - Wikipedia
Frank’s Island Lighthouse, Louisiana at Lighthousefriends.com
https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.la0116.photos?st=gallery
Cipra, David L, 1997, Lighthouses, Lightships and the Gulf of Mexicao, Cypress Communications, Alexandria, Virginia.