The island is granite rock that rises nearly perpendicularly to 60 feet (18 m) above the surface of Lake Superior, surrounded by deep water.

[5] In 1868, spring brought the arrival of the lighthouse tender Haze, which landed a construction crew and building supplies.

[3] Although the island is privately owned, an automated aid to navigation on a gray steel tower (with a 96 feet (29 m) focal plane) and a range of 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard.

[7] The island's infrastructure is host to an Internet relay station operated by Northern Michigan University to provide live real-time classes to the rural area of Big Bay and its school system.

This station is operated by Northern Michigan University and the data is made available to the National Weather Service to aid in Near Shore Forecasting and to study the evaporative effects on the rise and fall of the water levels in the Great Lakes.