Monthly Archives: May 2012

Adventure on the Lighthouse

Beachcombing, British Columbia, Canada, Lighthouses, On The Job, Wildlife, , , , ,
Down by the seashore - photo Glenn Borgens

One of the things I miss most about the lighthouse is going down to the shore in early morning light, especially if it was a low tide, and seeing what there was to see and find. I never knew what would wash up, or go floating, flying or swimming by.

Sometimes I saw unusual birds, a whale, an otter, a different coloured starfish, or sometimes I just enjoyed the smell of the sea in the fresh air. As a lighthouse keeper we were not only on watch for problems with boats, but we were also caretakers of the sea around us.

If we happened to spot something unusual such as an oil spill, or unusual flotsam, then we  reported that to the nearest Coast Guard station. We also reported on dead birds, or other deceased wildlife such as whales. Continue reading Adventure on the Lighthouse →

Lighthouse History – 49 (1924-02-28 to 1925-03-10)

Construction, History, Information, Keepers, Lighthouses, Newspapers, , , , , , ,

The following extracts taken from early Victoria, British Columbia (BC) newspapers are credited to Leona Taylor for her excellent work in indexing the papers. Full information can be found here: ”Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers“, 2007-09.

 

12 – Entire crew of Norwegian freighter Tatjana, a total wreck on Village I, Bamfield lifeboat rescues 7, and 21 make shore on Breeches Buoy…; Feb 28, 11 – phs/Barkley Sound thrives on herring harvest…; Feb 29, 1; 11 – dead reckoning errors fatal, crew to arrive in Victoria on HMCS Armentieres…; Mar 1, 5 – rescued crew reach shore by slender line… Victoria boy, Harry Brown, 19, hero of disaster…; Mar 6, 4 – wreck of Tatjana…; Mar 9, 14; 15 – Capt Chris Cholberg demands additional lighthouse at Barkley Snd… ph/wireless station and light at Pachena Pnt…; Mar 14, 17 – Tatjana in danger of splitting up…; Apr 2, 15 – Pacific Salvage Co will attempt to salvage [Village I]…; Apr 23, 17 – ph/Tees sails for wreck with more tackle…; May 6, 5 – more patches for salvaged Tatjana, reclaimed vessel anchored at Sechart…; Continue reading Lighthouse History – 49 (1924-02-28 to 1925-03-10) →

Illness at Boat Bluff Lighthouse 1970s

Adult Memories, Boats, British Columbia, Canada, Children, Coast Guard, Communication, First Nations, Helicopters, Keepers, Lighthouses, Medical, Medical Emergency, Old Website, On The Job, Seaplanes, Storms, Transportation, Travel, Women, , , , , , ,

The following memory was passed on to me by Margit Losel. It happened during their time at Boat Bluff in the years 1977 – 1980. They were lucky! They were able to get off and on the lighthouse. Some stations were too isolated for this method to work. – retlkpr

*************************

Boat Bluff c.1970s - photo Ray McKenzie

We were living on Boat Bluff Light and my oldest son Simon was an infant. He developed a very bad case of Croup. One stormy night he all but stopped breathing and we tried frantically to get some help.

We finally managed to get a radio patch through Bull Harbour Coast Guard Radio with a doctor in Bella Bella. The radio reception was so poor that the connection with the doctor broke up all the time, but we did understand that Simon needed medical attention as soon as possible.

I Love Night Shift!

Adult Memories, Hobbies, Information, Lighthouses, , , , , , ,

You hear so many people complaining about having to work nights at a job. Myself, I found night shift to be the best! The rest of the station was asleep. I had the radio all to myself, a good book, cup of coffee and I was set.

Every hour or so, depending on the feel of the weather I would take a trip outside and check the engine room, and admire the sky! I was always amazed by the number of stars you could see from a lighthouse, as long as one stayed out of the loom of the main light.

Once my eyes became adapted to the dark, it was like the whole sky was lit up just for me. I used to pick out the constellations – one of my favourites was Orion, the Hunter which loomed large and clear in the sky from SE to SW depending on what time of night it was.

I used to leave the curtains open in my bedroom at night. If I woke before it was time to get up for shift, I would look outside and if Orion was visible, I could tell what time it was by the position in the sky. Continue reading I Love Night Shift! →

Life on Nootka Lighthouse c. 1950s

British Columbia, Canada, Childhood Memories, Coast Guard, Communication, Foghorns, Groceries & Mail, Incidents, Keepers, Lighthouses, Photos, Radio, School, Storms, Tsunami, Weather, , , , , , ,

Here is another story from Ms. Juanita (Swanson) DuLong. She was a young girl on most of these stations, but living there, and hearing stories from her parents, she has created   lighthouse memories from the 1950s time. Her older stories are found here, here and here. One more to come she says. 

It is said that for every person on earth, there is a place our soul will recognize as home.

Nootka lighthouse

Sometime in 1955, I was lucky enough to find that Nootka was mine. Ever since, no
matter where or how I was living, I went home whenever possible. Today, my husband
and I live on the West coast of Vancouver Island, not far from Nootka Island.

Nootka Lighthouse is picturesque, with 360 degree views of scenery. The area is steeped in history, being the true birthplace of B.C. Brick fragments are still sometimes found from the Spanish fort that so long ago enjoyed those same views.

But , I wasn’t yet ten years old, and history wasn’t uppermost in a little girl’s mind. Continue reading Life on Nootka Lighthouse c. 1950s →