Edisen Fishery & Rock Harbor Lighthouse: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Isle Royale National Park, National Park Service

The Edisen Fishery and Rock Harbor Lighthouse is a component landscape of Isle Royale National Park, located on an island archipelago in the northwest portion of Lake Superior. The lighthouse stands atop a high wooded bluff, and the fishery is situated approximately one quarter mile to the west on the south shore of Rock Harbor, on the opposite side of the peninsula. The Middle Islands and the lighthouse frame the entrance to the harbor, which serves as a primary entry point for visitors arriving via ferry from Michigan. The Edisen Fishery and Rock Harbor Lighthouse represent connections between periods of history that have shaped the island landscape. The 1977 National Register listing identifies the site’s period of significance as 1855 to 1934, beginning with the construction of the lighthouse in response the increased harbor traffic generated by a boom in copper mining. The period ends with the decline of development in both the fishery site and the fishing industry. The site is nationally significant for associations with small-scale commercial fishing, transportation by water, and the influence of copper mining. It also is notable for containing structures that represent distinctive characteristics specific to the area's history. The lighthouse operated during the first and second copper mining rush on Isle Royale (1855-1859 and 1874-1879). The Edisen Fishery was developed slightly later, during the small-scale commercial fishing industry boom from 1895-1934. The modest structures on the site include a fish house and dock, net house, and storage building. Constructed and maintained over the forty-year span, buildings used local materials and are clustered on a site thick with a mix of wild vegetation and cultivated shrubbery, including rose bushes brought from Minnesota by Peter Edisen. The site retains a high degree of integrity as a commercial fishing complex. Remnants from the fishing industry such as wooden packing barrels, net dryers, fish cleaning tables, and nets remain scattered throughout the site. The seven buildings, which were typically occupied only six months out of the year, reflect a functional building design. Both sites were occupied from 1928-1939. Since this time, the lighthouse has remained unoccupied and the areas have been maintained by the National Park Service (NPS) as working interpretive sites. While the lighthouse structure has high integrity, the surrounding landscape has a reduced integrity due to inconsistent use since 1879. The NPS stabilized the lighthouse tower in 1962 and conducted preservation maintenance and restoration from 1980-1982. However, the landscape surrounding the lighthouse has not been restored. The dense forest surrounding the lighthouse obstructs visibility of a light that once acted as a distant beacon for a busy harbor. In 2002, trees were removed from the front of the lighthouse to restore historic views. The fishery and the lighthouse are joined by an unpaved path across the peninsula, maintained and defined by use. A historical map dating to 1887 indicates the presence of a path connecting the lighthouse on Lake Superior to a “boathouse” on the other side along Rock Harbor. The map predates the structures and arrangement of the fishery but illustrates the use of the site during this time. Both the Edisen Fishery and the Rock Harbor Lighthouse are significant in that they represent two of the island’s most historically important resources: fishing and copper mines. The two sites reflect the historical economy and the settlement patterns of this region dating from the middle of the 19th century. While the sites did not share a concurrent period of significance, they are related by their close physical proximity and their demonstration of the layered land use and activities that have shaped the island landscape

Edisen Fishery & Rock Harbor Lighthouse: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Isle Royale National Park, National Park Service

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