Donald L. The current clubhouse dates from and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in The Minnesota Boat Club still actively engages in and promotes the sport of rowing, using the Raspberry Island site as its base. The upper level of the building has been the home of various night clubs and now is available to rent for weddings and other events. And according to the Saint Paul Curling Club, its first club location was constructed on the island in , featuring five sheets of natural ice.
Raspberry Island has changed substantially over time. Depictions of the island in and show it as long and thin, reaching almost to the Robert Street Bridge. When the City condemned portions of the island in , there were numerous structures there, including several houseboats. Since those were cleared, the island has been bare of buildings, except for the clubhouse.
The City of Saint Paul obtained title to the eastern three acres of the island from the Union Depot Company in or Navy leased part of that acreage and built a training center there. This is when the island was given the name Navy Island. The center only lasted 10 years, however, and was demolished in , though the island continued under that name for quite a few years.
At some point the size and shape of the island were altered by human rather than natural forces, perhaps during the Navy construction, perhaps before or after, perhaps both. Fill was added at some point so the island lay higher than the Ordinary High Water level for the Mississippi River in that locale.
Paul Harbor Improvement Program, completed in by the Federal Government, Raspberry Island which was never an island, except in high water was made into one by dredging a back channel around it and re-christening it Navy Island. At the same time Harriet Island was joined to the mainland. During the s and s Raspberry Island was best known as a parking lot for people who worked in downtown Saint Paul.
During the early s, the island housed a small bandshell where occasional concerts were performed. In when the Wabasha Bridge was rebuilt, the bridge to Raspberry Island was in the way, so it was removed and a temporary one was put in on the downstream end of the island. The permanent bridge to the island was rebuilt in , according to www. During the planning of the new Wabasha Street Bridge, the island was again christened Raspberry Island. The City of Saint Paul owns the land, but the river is a federal waterway, which makes the jurisdiction somewhat unclear.
In recent years the island has seen a renaissance. Cottonwood trees along the shoreline had to be removed, and the concrete shoreline was replaced with riprap rock or other material used to armor shorelines and protect them from erosion.
Walking paths, public toilets and parking, seating areas and extensive landscaping made the new park more accessible and welcoming to the public. More than trees and flowers, including native plants, replaced the cottonwoods; project plans called for trees, shrubs, 4, ornamental grasses, 10, sedge plants, wildflowers, perennials, and ferns.
Raspberry Island no longer has a looming identity crisis: it has its old name back and is wearing its finest garb to welcome visitors. This is the place to go to get up close and personal with the river; you can walk, sit and look at the beautiful view, and even fish from the steps. You can reach down and touch the river. His wife had decided to pay him a visit, and horrified to find her husband missing, organized a search.
Francis Jacker's close call on Oak Island convinced his superiors that there was a genuine need for an assistant keeper at the Raspberry light, and shortly afterward he was able to hire his son, Edward, as assistant keeper. About a decade later, the station's complement increased again, with the establishment of a second assistant keeper's position.
With continuing expansion in shipping traffic on Lake Superior, demand rose for a fog signal at Raspberry Island. State-of-the-art technology called for a coal-fired steam whistle, and such equipment demanded extra personnel to share the workload. In , the current fog signal building was constructed, and a second assistant authorized. The little lighthouse was hardly adequate for three keepers and their family members, so in , the Lighthouse Service remodeled the building from the ground up.
Portions of the old structure were incorporated into the new building, but final result was a lighthouse that was much larger and more imposing than the original. The new lighthouse was occupied until , when the light was converted to automatic operation. The lens remained in the tower until , when the Coast Guard replaced it with a battery-operated beacon mounted on a pole in front of the lighthouse.
While the lighthouse we see on Raspberry Island appears much the same as it did in , the surrounding setting has changed substantially. When the lighthouse was built, the surrounding area was cleared of trees so that ships would have a clear view of the beacon. Photos taken as recently as the s show an open area of several acres around the station.
Today, forest has encroached upon the site, and only a portion of the original clearing remains. More ominously, the bluff in front of the lighthouse has suffered severe erosion. The steep clay banks face the force of Lake Superior at their base, while the upper sections are subject to "slumping," or collapse.
Despite some efforts at erosion control in the s, engineers warn that the receding bank could threaten the light station structures in as little as ten years. Fortunately, Congress has acted to protect the historic treasure known as the Raspberry Island lighthouse. Funds were appropriated to institute erosion control measures that will combine construction of a seawall at the base of the bluff, regrading the slope to a stable angle, drainage improvement, and planting vegetation.
During the summer and fall of , visitors to Raspberry Island were able to see the work in progress. By the end of October, more than half the project was complete.
Work resumed in the spring of , and the project was completed in July. Visiting the Lighthouse The Raspberry Island lighthouse is the most readily accessible of the Apostle Island stations. During the summer season, rangers conduct tours of the historic tower.
Close to the mainland, the island is a popular destination for skilled sea kayakers and private boaters who are prepared for the challenges of Lake Superior. Explore This Park. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Wisconsin.
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