[5] The bay on the eastern side of the Keweenaw Peninsula offers protection to mariners from the prevailing northwestern winds on Lake Superior;[10] however, the passage by Gull Rock, a tiny islet about one-half mile off Manitou Island's western tip, proved a serious threat.

[12] In 1901, a 40-foot (12 m) retaining wall was built northeast of the structure to protect the lighthouse from waves washing over the island.

[10] The original Fourth Order Fresnel lens was manufactured by Barbier and Fenestre of Paris.

[11] It is said to be on display at Whitefish Point Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, although Terry Pepper claims that the lens may be misidentified.

The interior had been left open, and is in ruins with the removed roof jettisoned into it, and it suffered extensive water damage.

to find safety on the lee side of the point during northerly storms, [and not] a normal traffic route.”[14] As noted by Terry Pepper, the author of Seeing the Light and the Director of the Great Lakes Light Keepers Association: "Two hundred and fifty feet in length and one hundred feet in width, the highest point of Gull Rock stood less than twelve feet above the water under the calmest conditions, becoming virtually invisible in the gray darkness of stormy days when vessels were most likely to be threading their way through the passage.

[11] The tower is constructed of brick, and measures 9 by 9 by 46 feet (2.7 by 2.7 by 14.0 m) high with internal stairs.

[11] The keeper's house is a two-story structure, constructed of brick with a gable roof.