I receive links to lighthouse stories in the most unbelievable ways. This one arrived in the middle of an email addressed to someone else, which was then passed on to me.
After contacting this first writer I was passed on to another. To keep track of all my contacts I think I will soon need a secretary!
The first writer was Ms. R. Dawson, and her grandparents were on five British Columbia lighthouses for a total of twenty plus years staring in the 1940s. Ms. Dawson describes herself as an activist and I believe she is onboard with the lighthouse keepers against automation as she says: “Lighthouses have been under attack for decades by federal government politicians who have no idea as to their worth and see them as an easy target.”
After contacting Ms. Dawson, I was told that her Aunt Juanita was older and had more stories to tell, and that Aunt Juanita is the sole surviving child of Ms. Dawson’s grandparents/Juanita’s parents. So, Ms. Dawson contacted Aunt Juanita, and I then received an email from Juanita’s husband Roy DuLong. Continue reading Life on the Lighthouses c. 1950s to 1960s→
Capilano Lighthouse behind the Empress of Japan - photo Dudley Booth
– a letter written by Dorothy Mawdsley (Harris) Harrop (daughter of first light keeper, George Alfred Harris, at Capilano 1915 – 1925), with special thanks to Alfred Harrop, grandson of George Alfred Harrop, for letting me post the text of the letter.
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This letter is a bit long, as people were prone to write a lot before the advent of computers. If you have the time, this is a fascinating story of life way back then. – JAC
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Perhaps my grandchildren will take time to read this when I am long gone. We came to Vancouver in 1909. I had just turned my 13th birthday. My father could not get work of any description. He had a Chief Engineer Ticket from Liverpool [UK] but owing to the B.C. laws he was not allowed to work as an engineer even on a small tug in the inlet. It must have been very hard on both my father and my mother. Continue reading Life on First Narrows Lighthouse and Fog Station c. 1915+→
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.
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Captain Gaudin, Agent of Marine, has received details from David Logan, lineman at Clo-oose, regarding the wreckage washed ashore near Carmanah as recently reported by wireless despatches. Mr Logan’s report says that among the things found were 12 sacks of flour, 23 tins of coal oil, 2 50-gal barrels of coal oil, a case of bird seed and some broken things. At Ucluelet a bottle was found containing some pieces of paper, it having been thrown from Steamer President in Oct. Lumber seen floating off the Vancouver Island coast recently was probably from Schooner Yosemite which has arrived at San Francisco and reports having 60,000′ of lumber washed from her decks on Nov 27, when 30 miles from Columbia River. The coal oil found on Vancouver Island coast is supposed to have been part of that included in the cargo of the wrecked Schooner Argo consigned to the Tillamook lighthouse. [Colonist, 1909-12-07] Continue reading Lighthouse History – 36 (1909-12-07 to 1910-09-30)→
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.
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Many ex-Victorian seal hunters are on the Japanese sealing Schooner Matsu Maru, which recently put into Hesquoit and has proceeded on her sealing voyage off this coast on her way to Behring Sea, according to ProvincialConstable E McLeod of Clayoquot, who is in the city with an Indian woman, sentenced to one month’s imprisonment at Clayoquot for supplying liquor to other Indians. George Diehl, a well known local hunter, who has been hunting under the Japanese flag for 2 or 3 seasons, and 9 others, including a majority of Victorians. The Schooner has 9 hunting boats, on one white hunter is in charge of each boat, with 3 Japanese hunters. Captain Thompson is navigator of the vessel. The 2 Japanese who deserted from the Schooner at Hesquoit were captured at Clayoquot, after much trouble in reaching that village, and were returned on board when the Schooner was hove to off Lennard I lighthouse. She continued on her cruise after taking the deserters on board. Continue reading Lighthouse History – 35 (1909-04-21 to 1909-10-12 )→
No, the title does not mean I have gone a wee bit balmy. This article is about finding things but not on the beach. It is also not really about lighthouses, but does take place on, or near a lighthouse where my wife Karen and I were first stationed.
When I saw the photo below it brought back many memories of our first lighthouse at Pulteney Point, Malcolm Island.
Pulteney Point lighthouse is located between Port McNeil and Port Hardy on Vancouver Island, British Columbia (see map below). It is still manned.
In 1901 Finnish settlers made Malcolm Island their home – see a short version of the story here.
Pulteney Point
When we arrived at the lighthouse in 1969 there were still traces of the settlements visible in the woods between the lighthouse and the town of Sointula. Old buildings, parts of wharves, chimneys, rusting appliances and farm implements. One needed a boat to explore most of them as there were no usable trails through the woods – at least none that were usable now.
But out behind the lighthouse there was a trail leading into the woods along the beach on the northwest side leading to a small creek that flowed into the ocean where the lightkeepers used to pump water to the station for drinking water. Part way along the trail were a couple of old buildings we were told housed the early settlers.
Having explored many ruins and old townsites on Vancouver Island before moving onto the lights we thought we were pretty expert at finding old souvenirs, bottles, etc.
Armed with shovel, trowel and a few sacks we headed out one day to explore the ruins. We knew we were probably not the first ones to explore the site, but hoped that our expertise would prevail and we would find what they had not.
First, we had been told many years earlier, look for a garbage dump. By now that would have been overgrown, so we looked for any hump that was off to the side of the property and away from the main house.
our find, like the bottle on the left
We did find and excavate a couple of likely spots, but found nothing that resembled what we were looking for. We searched through both buildings – one a house, and the other outbuilding, probably a sauna – hey, it was a Finnish homestead, so why not?
After hours of searching we found one small Vaseline bottle which had turned purple in the sun. Heading home proudly with our find, we showed it off to the other family at the lighthouse.
We completely forgot about the episode until about a year later when a boat with strangers arrived at the station. The two men and two women explained that they had been exploring the old Finnish homesteads for souvenirs and asked if it would be okay to look around out back as they had been told there was a homestead there as well.
Walter Tansky, the senior keeper, said there was no problem as all the property behind the lighthouse was Crown Land. I was wondering how long they would be there before they discovered that there was nothing significant there.
After a couple of hours they had not returned. I got curious and wandered back there to see what was taking so much of their time. Upon arriving at the site I saw that the floorboards had been torn up, and there was a pile of old bottles sitting off to one side.
How? Where? What . . .? I was speechless. Where did all these bottles come from?
So after getting over my shock, I asked some questions. It turns out they had found what they thought was the kitchen by probing. Probing involves the use of a spring steel probe about 1/4″ in diameter and about 4 feet long. It usually has a metal or wood T-handle. This is pushed into the earth to locate buried objects like metal and glass.
Under the floor in the kitchen they found most of the bottles. They assumed that a wood shelf had collapsed onto the rotten floor and carried its load of bottle with it. Some were broken, but most were in very good condition because they had not been moved since the early 1900s.
So this was not beachcombing, and I could not call it landcombing, but we sure did learn a lot about bottle scavenging.
In my Christmas Message 2011 I mentioned essential services while referring to lighthouses. It amazes me that Canada considers lighthouses essential services when the lightkeepers want to go on strike, but at any other time of the year they are trying to automate them.
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.
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Tug William Jolliffe, of British Columbia Salvage Co, returned from West Coast lighthouses loaded cement for a new lighthouse at Estevan Point and will probably sail again today for the West Coast. Tees, Captain Townsend, sailed last night for the West Coast with a good cargo and a fair complement of passengers. She took lumber, coal, barrels and stores and several large shipments of provisions. Passengers included F W Vincent, of the Canadian Pacific Railway coast service staff, who is making his annual trip of inspection; H Simpson, R J Flaherty, S Dickson, A W Neill, Mr/Mrs J Durham, J W McCreary, J H McGregor, D Wyer, D Duncans, W T Buttar and Messrs Bruce, W McCurdy, Godrich, Todd and Gregg. [Colonist, 1908-09-22] Continue reading Lighthouse History – 34 (1908-09-22 to 1909-01-23)→
– Narrated by Sharlene Macintosh with help from her cousin Zellie Chamberlin Sale (granddaughters of Howard Frazer Chamberlin, lighthouse keeper c. 1930 – 1941)
Nootka Light -photo - Bill Maximick of Maximick Originals
My grandfather was Howard Frazer Chamberlin who was lightkeeper at a few lighthouses around Vancouver Island – Nootka , Pine Island , Quatsino , Trial Island come to mind – my Mom knows them all. His brother, Charles Benjamin Chamberlin was also assistant at Nootka.
My Mom, Mina Peet (née Chamberlin) was born in Oct 1933 while her Dad was a lightkeeper. He originally did various jobs such as farming, prospecting, trapping, and logging with horses. He had a sawmill at Coombs, BC and he was injured while logging with horses on Vancouver Island. He was put into hospital where he met my grandmother Dora Anna Wordsell who was a nurse.
They married December 12, 1928 in Nanaimo, BC. They had three daughters: Connie (who died in 1985), Pearl, and Mina. The first child, a son, died up near Prince Rupert, BC right after birth, so my grandmother was sent the next time to New Westminster, BC to give birth (at a real hospital) where her parents lived, and the second two times to Victoria, BC. Continue reading Howard Frazer Chamberlin Family Adventures c.1930s→
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.
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Rev Father Brabant appointed Apostolic Administrator of Diocese pending appointment of an archbishop (Orth resigned due to fatal illness). Brabant is the only one of the local priests who was a priest under Bishop Demers, first of the bishops at Victoria. He remained since under Bishops Seghers, who was killed in AK; Brondel, Lemmens and Christie. Brabant is 62 and has been on this coast for 39 years, mostly engaged at Hesquiat among West Coast Indians. He is the authority upon the language of these Indians. It was in 1874 that in company with Bishop Seghers, the new apostolic administrator went to the West Coast, as passengers on Captain Spring’s trading Schooner Surprise. A machinist who went to install the machinery at Cape Beale lighthouse was also a passenger. During his long residence on West Coast Vancouver Island he has had many adventures, being shot on one occasion by superstitious Indians when a smallpox epidemic was causing illness amongst the tribesmen. He buried the victims of some wrecks, and had numerous adventures among the people of the island coast among whom he lived so long. [Colonist, 1908-05-05]
photograph: Banfield Creek Motor Lifeboat… now being repaired by Hutcheson Brothers, Victoria. Photo on Banfield Creek at practise. Lifesavers are practising rowing, with Captain Gullin at the till. Banfield Creek cable stn is seen in the background. Dominion Government Steamer Quadra returned after landing gear for the lighthouse and wireless telegraph stn at Pachena Point, and will leave in a few days with Captain Gaudin, local Agent of Marine and W H Roebuck, fog alarm expert, on a cruise to lighthouses and aids of the British Columbia coast on an inspection tour. [Colonist, 1908-05-12, p. 10]
Captain Gaudin, marine agent, who was on board Dominion Government Steamer Quadra engaged inspecting lighthouses and fog alarms, has sent word that… the new lighthouse at Pachena Port, is being shown from a tower which stands on the top of the bank, at the extreme point. It is an octagonal wooden building, with sloping sides, painted white, surmounted by a red circular metal lantern. Height of tower from base to vane is 66’… describes flashing light… a white rectangular wooden doubled building with a hip roof has been erected NE of the lighthouse, on top of the bank, immediately behind a narrow gorge used as a landing place in fine weather… description of fog alarm… [Colonist, 1908-05-24]
Steamer Leebro left yesterday for Estevan Point and West Coast lighthouses, carrying a cargo of building material and machinery to be used in the completion of the lighthouse and fog alarm and wireless telegraph stn at Estevan Point. A lighthouse tower is under construction on the Southwest extremity of Estevan Point, locally known as ‘Hole-in-the-Wall’. The light to be shown from this tower when completed will be a 1st order triple flashing white light… A fog alarm building has been erected at this light station A fog alarm, consisting of a diaphone, operated with air, compressed by an oil engine, will be installed in the building this year. A number of carpenters from Clayoquot were taken in a launch to Estevan to work on the new lighthouse. [Colonist, 1908-07-03]
Ottawa report… Harbors and Navigation… 4 lifeboat Stations – Clo-oose, Banfield, Ucluelet and Clayoquot. A coast road in course of construction on West Coast Vancouver Island, 24 miles completed; 5 wireless Stations – Estevan, Pachena, Victoria, Port Grey and Cape Lazo; Kyuquot – Gas buoy; Estevan Point – lighthouse and fog signal in course of construction; Cape Beale – fog signal; Pachena Port – lighthouse and fog signal; Port San Juan – gas and whistle buoy… [Colonist, 1908-07-11]
Thomas Paterson, who for many years has had charge of the Cape Beale lighthouse, and who, with his wife, Mrs Minnie Paterson, has done so much in aid of shipwrecked mariners and to save life, has tendered his resignation as lightkeeper. Mrs Paterson’s trip over the sodden trail to send Quadra to save Captain Allison and 9 men from the wrecked Coloma and the work of her husband and herself, when Valencia went ashore won a great deal of praise. [Colonist, 1908-07-21]
On Dec. 1, U.S. Coast Guard vessel stability rules raised the estimated weight of the average adult passenger to 185 pounds from 160 pounds. This was based in part on population information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a coast guard report on the changes.
To comply with the new rules, the state-run ferry system has reduced the number of passengers on a number of routes, Marta Coursey, director of communications for Washington State Ferries, said Thursday. Continue reading Did You Gain Weight Over Christmas?→
