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A Niche in Time
Burrows Island Light Station occupies an important niche in the maritime history of the Pacific Northwest. Standing sentinel in the busy and navigationally complex mouth of Rosario Straits, the light station and the Coast Guard sailors who ran it, offered a century of faithful service. From cargo ships bound for Alaska via the Inside Passage to unfortunate boaters beset by engine trouble, Burrows Island Light Station served as a beacon and a refuge, as needed.
In November, 2006, NWSS applied to become custodians of the light station, with a goal of rehabilitating its buildings and landscape to promote a historic educational and recreational landmark. On June 23, 2010 U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salizar signed the documents that will eventually turn the station over to the Schooner Society.
The Light Station is not currently open to the public.
NWSS hopes to begin rehabilitating the light station buildings before fall of 2010, subject to approval by the Coast Guard, National Parks Service, the General Service Administration and Washing to state Department of Ecology. Check back for updates on our progress. Volunteering opportunities will be scheduled as soon as practical.
BILS History
Built in 1906, the Station consists of a Lighthouse with 34' tall wooden foghorn tower, a two-story wooden duplex that served as family quarters, a pumphouse, and a boathouse above a boat landing with a derrick and landing stairway.
The Station buildings, like most of the lighthouses in the Pacific Northwest, were designed by architect C.W. Lieck. The flashing two-second light overlooks Rosario Straits and is well positioned north of Dennis Shoal and opposite Bird Rocks. Unlike many light Stations, the actual structure is a simple, homey design, thanks to the toehold of flat land on the otherwise steep-sided island.
Originally maintained by the Lighthouse Service, the Station was taken over by the Coast Guard in 1939. A single family Officer-in-Charge house was added near the duplex and three Coast Guardsmen and their families took up residence, serving two-year tours on the island, with trips to Anacortes for provisions. The Coast Guard buoy tender Fir visited twice a year, bringing maintenance and operational supplies, including fuel for the generators.
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