[4][5][6][7][8] It sits in Lake Erie, south of the mouth of the Detroit River, 1.75 nautical miles (3.24 km; 2.01 mi) from land and about 20 nautical miles (23 mi; 37 km) from the Ambassador Bridge in the Detroit River.

As winter was approaching and work set to stop, 550 short tons of stone were loaded onto the pier, "mostly on the high side."

Upon the crews return the following spring, gravity and ice floes had made the granite pier level.

In December 1997 the 635-foot (194 m) freighter MV Buffalo[15] struck the station dead on (a "direct hit"[16]) as it sailed down bound for Lake Erie.

[11][17] The lens has been changed several times, and this has altered the characteristic signal generated by the light to passing boats and ships.

[18] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Detroit River Light Station on August 4, 1983, reference number 83000886.