After two centuries of abandonment, the Sainte Croix Island was finally inhabited by people in the 1800's. In this period of time, the island was formally known as Dochet Island. This new name came from Theodosia, a girl who apparently visited the island quite often. In 1857, the American authorities decided to build a lighthouse on the northern part of the Sainte Croix Island. It marked the entrance of the Sainte Croix River and the U.S.-Canadian border. In 1901, the lighthouse was rebuilt, preserving its unique architecture. Until its automation in 1957, many keepers worked on the island among which were Charles A. Kenney, Elson Small, and Everett Quinn.

Made of wood, this octagonal lighthouse was on top of the keeper's residence. It was equipped with a fifth order Fresnel lens with a fixed white light interrupted by three seconds of darkness every 30 seconds. The light was visible for ten nautical miles and warned ships of the proximity of land. A bell was also installed in 1931, helping to guide boats through the fog by chiming once every 15 seconds. Elson Small built a small windmill to supply electricity to the keeper's house.

Life on the island was apparently very peaceful and all keepers and their families enjoyed living there. The comfort of the house and the beauty of the landscape made the lighthouse a very pleasant place. During summertime, the island was visited by many tourists who were cheerfully welcomed by the keeper and his family. In her book The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife Connie Small described her life on the "little paradise," as she called the island. She spent thirteen years on the island with her husband Elson Small.

On a windy day of 1976, a bunch of children playing on the island set a fire that destroyed the lighthouse and other outbuildings. The American government never rebuilt the lighthouse after this event.

For further details, please visit www.lighthouse.cc/stcroix