On September 28, 1850, the United States Congress appropriated $6,500 to construct a light at Eagle River.

[2] The light was situated on a sand bluff overlooking Lake Superior on the west bank of the river.

The tower was only 24 feet (7.3 m) high, but because of its location on a bluff, the sixth order Fresnel lens could be seen for a distance of ten nautical miles.

Congress appropriated $14,000 in 1869 to build a replacement, but recalled the funds in 1870 due to a shortfall in the federal budget.

The Eagle River Light Station was decommissioned in 1908 and its buildings were sold at auction in that year to John Vertin, a successful merchant from Calumet.