What are Canadians going to do with all their discontinued lighthouses? Always uppermost in the mind is making a Bed & Breakfast (B&B) out of one, as this will attract tourists, provide finances for upkeep, and let people see what it was like to live and work in a lighthouse.
Well, Craig Morrison in the United States had the urge and the ideas to do that. His ideas for a self-hosted lighthouse B&B is quite unique. Please read his story below.
(Long Island, N.Y) Sometime back around 2001, I was watching the NPR show on TV about the lighthouse act written by Gale Norton, Secretary of the Department of the Interior with my girlfriend/attorney, Linell. I asked if we could start a nonprofit and get one. She agreed.
I found a course at St. Augustine Lighthouse, Florida, hosted by the US Coast Guard, the National Park Service, the GSA, among many other lighthouse constituents. Linell and I spent a week in classes about bricks and Fresnel lenses and the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for lighthouse restoration. We bought the book in print, which is now available online. We also met a lot of folks that had ownership interests in lighthouses and that were interested in getting one. Some folks just loved lighthouses. Continue reading Reprint – So I Wanted to Own a Lighthouse: Diary of a Light Keeper→
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.
Please Note: December 20, 2012 – I am continuing this series with Lighthouse History #51 because the newspapers have now been indexed up to 1932. I quit posting at #50 as the extracts only went to 1926. They have now been extended from 1927 to 1932 so I will sift through the data for anything lighhouse!
Captain Cook’s Landing presented in Pageant on Clayoquot’s Shore… ; May 12, 20 – photo of Major George Nicholson as Captain Cook…; May 9, 20 – Tofino Legion’s day of celebration… ; B Nicholson, of the Department of Marine, was in Tofino attending to the installation of a new telephone cable connecting Lennard Island lighthouse with the mainland. Visitors were entertained at tea by Mrs Jackson and Miss Gertrude Jackson, who reside at Long Beach. [Colonist, 1931-05-09, p. 17]
June 9, 1931, 20 – Nootka. Taking the census on the outlying points of Vancouver Island is proving to be an exceedingly interesting and exciting expedition… To say ‘called on’ is stating it mildly, according to the experience of Major George Nicholson and Jack Mathison, who have been entrusted with finding the lonely settlers, prospectors, trappers and other isolated persons dotted along the coastline… Owing to the rough nature of the coast, none but the staunchest of vessels would be suitable for this work, so Ottawa has chartered the fishing vessel Yankee Boy, owned and manned by Bjarne and Trygve Arnet, of Tofino, and these two men, both well known and experienced fishermen and born on the west coast… As an instance of the isolation of some of the settlers visited is the case of a man who lives on a pre-emption at Escalante Point, to reach whom the census enumerator has the choice of walking 15 miles along the rugged shoreline north of Estevan lighthouse and wireless station, or else chancing a hazardous landing in the ocean surf in the vicinity of Escalante Rocks, one of the worst spots on the coast, many ships having been wrecked at that point. Mathison, not relishing the walk each way, the Yankee Boy undertook the landing behind the reef itself. Watching for a time when the tide was suitable and the prevailing westerly wind not too strong, and with the aid of the staunch lifeboat carried along, the landing was successfully made, but not without excitement in making the beach in the big combers. A mile and half walk along the rocky coastline found the settler in a snug bay, facing the warm, sunny south, and the enumerator, to his surprise, was treated to a feast of fresh strawberries. Continue reading Lighthouse History – 56 (1931-05-09 – 1931-05-31)→
I published a report January 04, 2012 on the building of McInnes Island lighthouse in 1953 based on the adventures of Ken Stewart who was part of the construction crew. I updated that post later with more information in the form of a PDF file.
1977
When I arrived with my family in the winter of 1977 the first thing we did was explore the island. Pictured left is a small log cabin buried back in the woods on the trail to the SW tip of the island.
Now let’s skip ahead to December 09, 2012 when I received an email from Mrs. K. Marshall with another photo of the same cabin taken about twenty-two (22) years earlier! What a delight to see what she had written on who built the cabin and also for her to see my photo taken so many years later.
In her email she said:
My grandfather James “Jimmie” Smith was a junior lighthouse keeper on McInnes for a few years in the late 1950s. He was there with my grandmother Mildred “Millie”, and their 2 daughters who were teenagers at the time, my mother Carol and her sister Sharon.
These photos are of a driftwood log cabin that my Mom and her sister built on the island. I’ve been scanning old family photos this past week and have quite a few from the lighthouses.
I’d be really curious to know if the cabin was still standing while you were stationed there.
Well, as I told her the cabin was there in the winter of 1977, but by the summer of 1978 we had burnt it down as it was very unsafe for anybody to venture inside and could not be repaired. An email from her Mom, the Carol mentioned above, says:
Pool area – labelled
[To build] the cabin I pulled and carried the logs from just below the cabin from the beach. The shakes I cut those with a hand saw to length. Split them with Mom’s best butcher knife and a hammer on the back of the knife….that didn’t go over at all well…believe me.
McInnes island – no labels
That end of the island where the cabin was. No one had trails there at all. Sharon and I started to explore that area. Dad, Bruce and Tony when they realized where we where disappearing to, they cut the logs of the trail so the adults could get into that area.
The swimming pool was past the
The swimming pool
cabin. You went up the hill and there was the natural crater in the rock. Dad and Mom used a washing soda to clean it all. Then the guys had a pump and hoses. They pumped new sea water up into the basin. Dad made up a bag of concrete to sort of plug one end of the crater. We just lived in that area all good days. Lots of nights we spent in the cabin. Continue reading McInnes Island Lighthouse – a Tale from the 1950s→
This is a past and very notable lifesaving rescue by two BC lightkeepers, Lynn Hauer and assistant lightkeeper Wolfgang Luebke who were at Chatham Point lighthouse at the time.
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Chatham point lighthouse - photo from Margaret Lutz
We sleep with the radios always on, and ‘with one ear open’.
At 3 AM on April 30, 2012 I was awakened by the unmistakeable sound of a Mayday distress signal. Being able to copy both sides of the communication, I knew it was within our response area. I sprang out of bed. Comox Coast Guard Radio was responding to the call from a very concerned woman, “We don’t have a lifeboat; we are putting our life jackets on now. We are bailing but it isn’t helping!!”
I knew we could be there in 10 to 20 minutes; we were tasked by Rescue Coordination Center. Assistant lightkeeper Wolfgang Luebke and I responded in our 18 foot aluminum station boat. It was pitch black out, and raining. We made our way by compass bearing, across Johnstone Strait into Burgess Passage.
Arriving on scene, we found a man and woman frantically bailing water with ice cream pails! Their bilge pump was inoperative. Their efforts were futile. Their ‘kicker’ motor was under water, and the large outboard was next. Water was pouring in around the re-boarding gate and inches from flooding completely over the transom, which would have seen them go down in minutes. We began pumping the water out of their vessel, with the Honda pump that is always stored under the seat of our station boat. We were all very relieved to see the flood water level slowly subsiding.
Cape Palmerston
The Cape Palmerston (CG SAR vessel) arrived on scene approximately 40 minutes after us. We saved an $80K boat from going to the bottom, and we surely saved a man and his wife from drowning; they would have been in that frigid water with only PFDs, for more than a half hour, had two keepers from Chatham Point Light not been there…we wouldn’t have been there if not for your SEEING THE LIGHT!
Lynn Hauer
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This letter was from from Lynn Hauer, a lightkeeper at Chatham Point and it was addressed to Canadian senator Nancy Greene, hence the reference to Seeing the Light. Senator Greene and her friends were very important in fighting to keep BC lighthouses manned. If unmanned, these people would probably have died. Many instances happen daily where a BC lightkeeper helps a mariner. Many of them you will never read about as they go into station reports and are lost in the central Coast Guard office paperwork – well, not actually lost, just suppressed.
The only way for the lightkeepers to get attention is to report their rescues to the Press (forbidden) or have it written up by myself, or other people outside the arm of Coast Guard censorship.
As Lynn said in a preface to the email she passed around to the lighthouse keepers:
It is important to keep the Senators up to speed of things that are going on. They support lightkeepers (LKs), we should keep them in the loop. They and the public recognize and care about what LKs do.
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The following emails show how the email was received by Senator Greene.
Dear Lynn,
First, thank you for your quick action! You are so right.
Thanks also for passing this on to me. I will circulate it as best I can.
All the best!
Nancy
Thank you so much Nancy. Your recognition means very much to Wolfgang and I. The thank you that we received from the couple that night, we extend to you.
It’s hard to resist the allure of lighthouses. They stand sentry on rock-strewn, wave-battered coasts, often for for centuries, guiding mariners toward safer shores. And their very presence is a reminder of the power of nature and the fragility of life. But above all — just look at them. They’re so often breathtaking.
From 2,000-year-old towers to ultra-modern designs, click through to see the world’s most amazing lighthouses. . . . more
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The World’s Most Incredible Lighthouses
See the amazing towers from Cape Hatteras to Thailand
It’s hard to resist the allure of lighthouses. They stand sentry on rock-strewn, wave-battered coasts, often for for centuries, guiding mariners toward safer shores. And their very presence is a reminder of the power of nature and the fragility of life. But above all — just look at them. They’re so often breathtaking.
From 2,000-year-old towers to ultra-modern designs, click through to see the world’s most amazing lighthouses.
Getty Images
St. Mary’s Lighthouse, Whitley Bay, England
St. Mary’s Lighthouse sits on an island reachable from the mainland only by a concrete causeway between tides. During high tides, the causeway is completely submerged. The 120-foot-high lighthouse lies north of Whitley Bay, and though the lighthouse is no longer active, the site remains a popular tourist attraction. Visitors can climb the 136 lighthouse steps to the lantern room, or visit a small museum, visitor’s center and cafe.
Joe Dsilva via Flickr
Pigeon Point Lighthouse, California
Fifty miles south of San Francisco, the 115-foot-tall Pigeon Point Lighthouse has been helping to guide sailors off the rocky Central California coast since 1872. Today it doubles as a popular hostel.
The lighthouse itself remains closed to the public after a section of the exterior’s cornice fell off in 2001, but the grounds remain open to visitors and 30-minute guided tours are available Friday through Monday. You might even spy seals or whales.
brentdanley via Flickr
Bass Harbor Lighthouse, Acadia National Park, Maine
Tucked into the scenic, rocky shores of Maine’s Acadia National Park, Bass Harbor Lighthouse on Mount Desert Island is one of the park’s major attractions, thanks to its postcard-perfect setting. The lighthouse serves as home to the local Coast Guard unit’s commander. Short trails around the tower allow visitors to enjoy spectacular views.
snowpeak via Flickr
Heceta Head Lighthouse, Florence, Oregon
One of the most visited and photographed lighthouses in the U.S., Haceta Head Lighthouse is perched along Oregon’s jagged coast more than 200 feet above the Pacific. The 56-foot-tall lighthouse was first illuminated in 1894. Its automated beacon is visible for 21 miles and is the brightest light on the Oregon coast.
It’s located in Heceta Head State Park, where trails and viewing areas offer glimpses of puffins, cormorants, gulls and sea lions. Lighthouse lovers can spend a night at Heceta Head: The adjacent keeper’s house doubles as a bed and breakfast.
KAIZUKA via Flickr
Enoshima Lighthouse, Japan
One of the world’s most striking lighthouses, Enoshima Lighthouse rises above tiny Yenoshima Island a few hours south of Tokyo. Renovated in 2003, the lighthouse features a massive open-air spiral staircase winding around a central steel structure and ultimately leading to a 196-foot-high observation deck.
From the deck, visitors can take in views of Sagami Bay and Mount Fuji in the distance. Don’t have the stamina to climb the staircase? An elevator also shuttles visitors.
Thinkstock
Torre de Hercules, Spain
The Torre de Hercules, or Tower of Hercules, was built by the Romans above La Coruña harbor in northwestern Spain in the 1st century, AD. The lighthouse is believed to be the only Greco-Roman lighthouse to retain its architectural integrity.
Originally called the Farum Brigantium, the tower sits on a 187-foot-high rock and stands an additional 180 feet high. The tower underwent restoration in the 18th century, and today visitors can also tour a sculpture garden, see rock carvings from
the Iron Age and explore a Muslim cemetery.
Thinkstock
Marblehead Lighthouse, Ohio
Ohio isn’t the first place one pictures when imagining scenic lighthouse settings, yet the state is bordered by Lake Erie and the shores of the Great Lakes are home to dozens of beacons. Built along the craggy shores of the Marblehead Peninsula, Marblehead Lighthouse has been shining since 1822, making it the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the U.S. shores of the Great Lakes.
The 50-foot limestone tower was operated by 15 lighthouse keepers, including two
women, until 1946. At that point, the U.S. Coast Guard took over responsibility for the light, which is now automated.
paul bica via Flickr
Cape Byron Lighthouse, New South Wales, Australia
Cape Byron marks the easternmost point of mainland Australia, and it’s here you’ll find the Cape Byron Headland Reserve, a state conservation area and home to the Cape Byron lighthouse. Visitors to the scenic reserve can hike the 2.3-mile loop trail and admire the coastal vegetation, sea cliffs and beaches. The lighthouse and its cottages were built in 1901 and stand on the mainland’s most easterly point.
Thinkstock
Cap des Rosiers Lighthouse, Quebec
At 112 feet tall, Quebec’s Cap des Rosiers lighthouse is Canada’s tallest beacon. It’s helped guide ships to safe waters since 1858. The tower sits at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River where it enters the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a rocky spot that has seen its share of shipwrecks. Among them was an Irish immigrant ship called the Carrick, which ran aground in 1847 and left 400 people dead.
The tower’s light is set 136 feet above the sea. The tower itself is a massive structure with 7-foot-thick marble walls at its base that taper to 3 feet thick at the top.
Photo by Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images
Middle Bay Lighthouse, Alabama
Rising from the center of Mobile Bay along Alabama’s Gulf Coast, Middle Bay Lighthouse is a hexagonal-shaped, screw-pile lighthouse built on seven piles screwed into the muddy sea floor. The station came into service in 1885. It gained notoriety in 1916 when the lightkeeper’s wife gave birth and the couple corralled a dairy cow to the lighthouse’s lower deck to provide milk.
The lighthouse was deactivated in 1967, and in 2010, $200,000 worth of repair work began on the structure. Visitors can’t climb the structure, but they can see the lighthouse up close on a boat tour departing from Fairhope, Alabama
Mkaraarslan via Wikimedia Commons
Kiz Kulezi (Maiden’s Tower), Turkey
Kiz Kulezi, or the Maiden’s Tower, sits on a small islet at the southern end of the Bosphorus Strait. It owes its name to the legend of a sultan’s daughter who was brought to the island to protect her from her anticipated demise — a snakebite on her 18th birthday — as foreseen by an oracle. The sultan ensured she was far from land and snakes, but on her 18th birthday, he brought her a basket of fruit, which unbeknownst to him, carried a poisonous asp. Needless to say, the fair maiden’s end was nigh.
Today, the tower houses a high-end restaurant serving delicacies such as sea bass with caviar and caper sauce. Want a window view overlooking the strait? It’ll cost you. The restaurant tacks on a surcharge for window seating.
Jim Dollar via Flickr
Ocracoke Lighthouse, Ocracoke Island, North Carolina
Built in 1823, Ocracoke Lighthouse is North Carolina’s oldest lighthouse and is still operational today. The 75-foot-tall lighthouse was automated in 1955. During the summer months, a U.S. National Park ranger is on duty and tourists can enter the lighthouse’s base. To reach the island, visitors can take a 40-minute auto and passenger ferry from Cape Hatteras.
kahunapulej via Flickr
Coastwatchers Memorial Lighthouse, Madang, Papua New Guinea
One of the most famous war memorials in Papua New Guinea, Coastwatchers Memorial Lighthouse pays tribute to the soldiers and civilian volunteers who acted as coastwatchers during World War II. Built in 1959, the lighthouse sits at the entrance to Madang Harbor, stands 90 feet high and was designed to be tapered at its top with four fins at the bottom, so that it resembles a bomb. At the top of the lighthouse is a bronze beacon guard shaped like a flame.
“JT” Taylor via Flickr
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, North Carolina
Just off Cape Hatteras lies one of the Atlantic coast’s most dangerous stretches of sea: the area where the Gulf Stream collides with the Virginia Drift. Hundreds, if not thousands, of ships have met their demise here, earning the region the nickname, “Graveyard of the Atlantic.”
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse has been warning ships in the area since it was first lit in 1803. The tower’s height was increased 1853 and again in 1871. At 210 feet, it’s now the tallest lighthouse in America.
In 2000, increasing beach erosion led to the lighthouse being moved 875 yards inland. The site now features a museum and visitor’s center. Climbing tours of the lighthouse’s 248 iron spiral stairs are held daily in spring, summer and fall.
Seli O via Flickr
Knarrarós Lighthouse, Iceland
This lighthouse on Iceland’s south coast isn’t your run-of-the-mill round tower. Designed as a blend of functionalism and art nouveau, Knarrarós is a square, unpainted concrete structure rising 86 feet above the earth, making it southern Iceland’s tallest building. Black panels between windows grant the appearance of stripes running up the sides. Tourists can visit the site but can’t enter the unusual lighthouse.
bluestardrop – Andrea Mucelli via Flickr
Hook Head Lighthouse, County Wexford, Ireland
The oldest lighthouse in Ireland and one of the oldest in the world, Hook Head is over 800 years old, though local lightkeepers are said to have been setting up fires to warn ships of danger since the 5th century. The current lighthouse was built during the 12th century by the Normans, with 9- to 13-foot-thick walls and standing 80 feet high. Visitors can take guided tours to the top or visit the gift shop and cafe.
Bruce Stokes via Flickr
Burnham-on-Sea Low Lighthouse
Called the “lighthouse on legs,” Burnham-on-Sea Low Lighthouse was erected in 1832 after an earlier lighthouse had proved to have too low of a vantage point. The Low Lighthouse is a wooden pile lighthouse that reaches 36 feet high and stands on nine wooden piers. The whitewashed structure, with its trademark red stripe, was inactive from 1969 to 1993, but it’s once again active and warning mariners.
Alamy
Promthep Cape Lighthouse, Thailand
A veritable youngster among lighthouses, Promthep Cape Lighthouse in Phuket, Thailand, was built in 1996 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Perched on Laem Promthep, a popular hilltop for watching sunsets, the lighthouse houses a small museum and is free to enter. Visitors can climb the tower for a better view of the stunning shoreline below.
archinwater via Flickr
Yokohama Marine Tower, Japan
One of the tallest lighthouses in the world looms 348 feet over Yokohama, Japan, and features a panoramic observation deck. On clear days, visitors can see snow-capped Mount Fuji in the distance. The tower is widely recognized for its lattice structure which, after dark, is lit in colored LED lights. A four-story complex sits at the tower’s base and includes a cafe, bar, restaurant and gift shop.
Alamy
Beachy Head Lighthouse, East Sussex, England
One of the planet’s most striking lighthouses is Beachy Head Lighthouse, set at the base of the 530-foot-tall white cliffs in East Sussex, England. The 141-foot tower was built with over 4,000 tons of granite and was first lit in 1902. Lighthouse keepers manned the beacon for 80 years until it was automated in 1983.
Today, the light emits two flashes every 20 seconds and can be seen eight nautical miles away. Pop culture fun facts: the Beachy Head cliffs have appeared in The Cure’s videos for “Just Like Heaven” and “Close To Me,” and the area served as the Quidditch World Cup hosting grounds in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”
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.
Please Note: December 20, 2012 – I am continuing this series with Lighthouse History #51 because the newspapers have now been indexed up to 1932. I quit posting at #50 as the extracts only went to 1926. They have now been extended from 1927 to 1932 so I will sift through the data for anything lighhouse!
gasboat Miowera, under command of Mickey, son of Major George Nicholson, of Clayoquot, accompanied by Borden Grant, of Tofino, as engineer, left Victoria at 10pm for Clayoquot, normally about a 24 hour run. The weather was fine at the time, but as the report at Gonzales warned of strong southeast winds, the 2 young navigators decided to make a through-run trip. All went well til the early hours of the morning and the vessel was well up the coast and about opposite Cape Flattery, when Grant, who had been taking his watch at wheel, went to call his skipper, but to his dismay he was unable to waken him. Slapping his face and dashing cold water on him still was of no avail; his companion was unconscious. This was bout daybreak and finding he was unable to wake his chum he steered alone and decided to make for Bamfield, and although he himself was unfamiliar with this particular part of the coastline he succeeded in reaching that port at noon. There he found the provincial police boat lying at the float and Constables Godson and Raybone immediately rendered first aid, and with the bringing of young Nicholson out on deck he soon showed signs of reviving. The constables then offered to run up to the hospital at Port Alberni, but the young man insisted that he would soon be all right again, and in consultation with his companion decided to proceed on up the coast. At this time it was not known or suspected what really was the matter with him. Continue reading Lighthouse History – 55 (1930-03-19 – 1931-05-09)→
A long time ago back in 1969 on my first lighthouse at Pulteney Point, we used to recycle glass bottles by taking them out in the boat or canoe, and breaking the washed glass bottle over the side of the boat and letting the fragments settle onto the ocean floor. It was not pollution as such as most glass is 90% sand.
Have you ever seen frosted glass pieces in the beach sand? Usually many varieties of colours from the sea green pieces of broken glass from Asian fishing net floats (glass balls) to the browns and whites of everyday bottles. Usually the bottle is thrown in the sea from land, thrown overboard from a boat, or dumped from a garbage scow off a big city. Glass is the most recyclable of modern user items, even if it is just dumped in the ocean.
The whole bottle can be returned for refilling, the broken ones can be melted down and remade into new bottles. But the sea does it differently. With the pounding of the waves on a beach, each piece of a broken glass is ground down, rounded off, and frosted by the action of sand moved by the waves. Another name for these polished glass shards is mermaid’s tears.
If you are lucky you can find every colour, with red and blue harder to find. At the end of this article I will give you a way to make your own sea glass. It is very beautiful as a floor in an aquarium, used to support candles, make sun catchers – uses are endless.
What brought this story to mind was this news article:
glass-beach-mackerricher-park-fort-bragg-california – Photograph by Jef Poskanzer
In MacKerricher State Park, near the city of Fort Bragg in northern California, you will find a beach littered with glass. Over decades of crashing waves the glass has been smoothed and rounded, transforming the shoreline into a colourful palette of pebble-like glass and sand. . . . more
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Now, as promised, if you do not live near a beach with sea glass, you can make your own easily. My last lighthouse was on a rocky island with no beaches – hence no sea glass.
Go to your nearest rockhound shop and purchase their cheapest rock tumbler. The one I had was two rubber barrels on two rollers run by a small electric motor (similar to photo on the left). The next item you need from the rockhound shop is their coarsest grit to rough up the glass.
beach Glass from a Tumbler
Carefully break any bottles you want to tumble, fill a tumbler barrel with the broken glass, add water and grit, close the lid securely and drop the barrel on the rails and let it run all night. Check in the morning if your glass is what you desire. If not, then tumble some more.
It is hard to tell real sea glass from the tumbled variety, and you have an infinite variety of coloured glass to choose from – just go to your nearest liquor store – especially in the wine section! Check out this website for more information.
glass-beach-mackerricher-park-fort-bragg-california – Photograph by Jef Poskanzer
In MacKerricher State Park, near the city of Fort Bragg in northern California, you will find a beach littered with glass. Over decades of crashing waves the glass has been smoothed and rounded, transforming the shoreline into a colourful palette of pebble-like glass and sand.
From 1906-1967 (the start date is up for debate), seaside towns were known to use the coastline as dumps, Fort Bragg was no different. After the devastation of the San Francisco earthquake the streets were filled with rubble and trash was dumped on the coast for the ocean to wash away. This of course, included plenty of glass.
glass-beach-mackerricher-park-fort-bragg-california – Photograph by John ‘K’ on Flickr
It wasn’t until 1967 when city leaders and the North Coast Water Quality Board realized what a mistake it was and sought to relocate the dump away from the ocean and clean up the shoreline. After the clean-up and more decades of crashing ocean waves; only smoothed and rounded glass mostly remained.
glass-beach-mackerricher-park-fort-bragg-california – Photograph by Jef Poskanzer
Glass Beach was purchased by California State Parks in October 2002. The Coastal Conservancy, with the City of Fort Bragg and the Mendocino Land Trust worked for over four years to assemble funding for the purchase of the 38-acre property. The Land Trust managed waste removal and clean-up, and completed botanical, archaeological and erosion control work that was required prior to purchase by State Parks. Since the Pudding Creek Trestle was completed in 2007, visitors may now walk from MacKerricher State Park to the headlands at Glass Beach connecting this highly visited “city” park to several miles of beach trails.
glass-beach-mackerricher-park-fort-bragg-california – Photograph by mamojo on Flickr
As word of this unique beach spread, more and more visitors descended onto Glass Beach. Drawn to the beautifully smoothed and rounded glass, visitors began pocketing the glass with each visit. This has greatly diminished the amount of glass on the beach. And since it is now State Park property it is a misdemeanor to remove any artifacts. While there is still glass to be found the area has been greatly depleted.
In addition to searching for glass, the beach has an interesting array of tide pools to explore. Crabs, mollusks, and many aquatic plants make their homes in these ever-changing environments.
For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.
And Pinterest Does It Again . . . more lighthouse photos!
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Mallory Knox and Lighthouse (song and lyrics)
And I’m so tired Of these buried lies, We spoke about a thousand times When all your friends stuck by your side Turning backs and minds, Whilst all this time, you’ve been stabbing mine And cut and dry at all my pride But there’s a scar you’ll never find Right behind my eye. Continue reading Mise Tales Twenty→
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.
Please Note: December 20, 2012 – I am continuing this series with Lighthouse History #51 because the newspapers have now been indexed up to 1932. I quit posting at #50 as the extracts only went to 1926. They have now been extended from 1927 to 1932 so I will sift through the data for anything lighhouse!
Died Sep 2, 1929 at Victoria, BC, Donald Bertram McPhee, late of Lennard Island lighthouse, where he had been keeper for some time. Born in NS. Pallbearers: G E Hartnell, A R Driver, A E, A P and R A Durmett, C Richardson. [Colonist, 1929-09-01*]
CGS Estevan returns from complete circuit of Vancouver Island, the purpose was to deliver Christmas boxes to the lightkeepers, supplies for the lighthouses and gas for unwatched lights… [Colonist, 1929-12-08, p. 35]
the isolated position of the Entrance Island lighthouse, Quatsino Sound, has caused the residents and business interests to petition government to establish radio telephone or cable telephone connection with the shore. Recently a small boat was wrecked there and the lightkeeper was stormbound for 2 days before he could get word to shore and start a search. [Colonist, 1930-02-02, p. 16]
Thomas Edward Hunt, assistant lighthouse keeper, William Hunt, at Scarlet Point light, Balaclava Island, accidentally drowned. He left the island in a rowboat to take to mail to people on adjacent islands. A heavy sea was running and the boat is believed to have capsized almost before he got started. No one saw the accident and he was not missed until the next day. Mar 1, 18 – was delivering medicine to Spackmans family… Body buried at Fort Rupert HBC cemetery… [Colonist, 1930-02-27, p. 10] Continue reading Lighthouse History – 54 (1929-09-01 – 1930-03-08)→
The Perfect holiday gift – – – gift certificates are available!
Welcome to the historical Braddock Point Lighthouse, established by the United States Lighthouse Establishment (USLHE) in 1896. This majestic jewel has been restored to its original Victorian grace and splendor and is now open seasonally as a truly unique Bed and Breakfast. Your hosts, Nandy and Donald Town know a few things about what it takes to pamper their guests at the inn. They are the owners/innkeepers of the world renowned Town Manor Bed and Breakfast in Central Florida. more . . .
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Be one of the very few that have the once in a lifetime opportunity to experience what it is like to live in an historical lighthouse perched on the shores of Lake Ontario near Rochester NY. Tour the restored lighthouse tower and take in the breathtaking views from high above. Be inspired by the magnificent workmanship involved in turning this spectacular home back to its original glory and now, finally open to the public. Braddock Point – come and visit us, we’ll leave the light on!
Hilton, N.Y. – An historic lighthouse on Lake Ontario will get some national attention next month [January 2013].
The Braddock Point Lighthouse in Hilton will be featured as a vacation getaway prize on the TV game show “The Price is Right.” Continue reading Mise Tales Nineteen→
