The organization will unveil a commemorative watercolor painted by Minnesota artist Jim Povich.

The lighthouse was first lit in July 1910. The beacon was in active use for 59 years, guiding ships past the point at Two Harbors until 1969.

Historical site manager Lee Radzak says the Split Rock Lighthouse holds an important place in Minnesota history.

“For many people its the first place where they really get a good feeling for how big lake superior is and why a lighthouse was needed on an inland lake like this,” Radzak said.

Radzak also said winter is a great time to visit the Split Rock Lighthouse, which towers over Lake Superior from a 130-foot cliff.

“It’s also a very pretty time in that you are seeing things like the sea smoke out on the lake, the steam rising off the lake and the real pretty pastels of the sunsets and sunrises in the winter here,” he said.

The historical society is hosting a series of events this year to commemorate the lighthouse’s centennial.

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For those hardy folks that make the winter trek to the North Shore over the holidays (and there are an amazing number of people around this week) they can be rewarded with some spectacular conditions and photographs. This is the month when the full moon rises behind the lighthouse at sunset behind the lighthouse. Twenty years ago there were only a few people that knew about this or were interested in taking photographs of the moonrise. For this last moonrise on December 31 at least a dozen photographers who were willing to abide the single digit temperatures they were rewarded with a beautiful moonrise with just the right amount of cloud cover to make the photos more interesting. Read rest of blog post at Split Rock Lighthouse’s Blog