WayfarrowChicago Harbor Light
Lighthouse · Cook County, Illinois
Chicago Harbor Light is a lighthouse in Cook County, Illinois. Illinois has 8 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 7 of them in Cook County.
It was built in 1893, in the late 19th century; its light sits 82 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl R 5s (a red flash every 5 seconds), with a range of about 24 nautical miles; it guards Lake Michigan; the recorded designer or builder is United States Lighthouse Board.
Status check, 2026-11: Built in 1893 for the World's Columbian Exposition and moved to the north breakwater in 1919. Sources give its height as 48 ft or 66 ft, so height is left null. Chicago Harbor Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 41.8894° N, 87.5906° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1893 |
|---|---|
| Focal height | 82 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl R 5s |
| Range | 24 nautical miles |
| Body of water | Lake Michigan |
| Designer / builder | United States Lighthouse Board |
| Heritage designation | Chicago Landmark |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 41.88944, -87.59056 |
Nearby places
- Chicago Harbor Southeast Guidewall Lightlighthouse · Cook County · 0.6 mi
- Four Mile Crib Lightlighthouse · Cook County · 2.6 mi
- William E. Dever Crib Lightlighthouse · Cook County · 2.8 mi
- Stateway Gardensghost town · Cook County · 4.6 mi
- Wilson Avenue Crib Lightlighthouse · Cook County · 5.3 mi
- Robert Taylor Homesghost town · Cook County · 5.7 mi
- Lincoln Squareghost town · Cook County · 7.8 mi
- 68th Street Crib Lightlighthouse · Cook County · 7.8 mi
- Grosse Point Lightlighthouse · Cook County · 12.8 mi
- Irondaleghost town · Cook County · 13.6 mi
- Indiana Harbor East Breakwater Lightlighthouse · Lake County · 16.4 mi
- Mount Forestghost town · Cook County · 17.1 mi
Questions
Where is Chicago Harbor Light?
Chicago Harbor Light is in Cook County, Illinois, at 41.8894, -87.5906.
How many lighthouses are in Cook County?
Cook County, Illinois has 7 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.