Category Archives: Lighthouses

Descriptions of different BC lighthouses.

Winter Visitors Come Flying In

Adult Memories, Game, Lighthouses, Photos, Visitors, Wildlife, , , , , , ,
Snowy Owl - photo Wikipedia

In the winter time when it became very cold on the British Columbia coast we almost always had fly-in visitors from the far north land on Mcinnes Island. These were the large Snowy Owls from the Arctic.

When the cold weather hit with lots of snow then the owls had no food available in the northern parts of Canada and Yukon and they then migrated south for the winter. We did not see them every year, but that could have been because we lived on an island. I know they have been recorded as far south as Vancouver, BC, so it is not an unusual event.

On the island we had the usual collection of Bald Eagles that used to sit in the trees. The eagles did not bother our four Siamese cats at all, but the Snowy Owls were a different thing. Anything that moved and was brown in colour was fair game! We did have mink and otters too, but when a cat is available, why go for something harder. Continue reading Winter Visitors Come Flying In →

Submarine Races at McInnes

Adult Memories, Canada, Children, Communication, Humour, Lighthouses, Radio, Recreation, Stories, Submarines, USA, Videos, Weather, , , , ,

 

Our viewpoint - photo Paul Kurbis

On our lighthouse at McInnes Island we got to see many submarine races. It was usually a random event, and if the weather was good we would sit up at the front of the lighthouse beside the foghorns with our binoculars and radio and notepad waiting for the races to begin.

 

Weather like this was not good - photo Colin Toner

We were notified by radio beforehand and noted the times on our notepad. Good weather was always a necessity, as if it was too rough you would see nothing. The children loved the event as it could occur at any time of the day and so sometimes they could stay up late at night to watch and cheer, or even miss school.

 

 

If the weather was bad we went back and waited impatiently for the next announcement on the radio. They were mostly US submarines as Canada has not too many serviceable ones. Plus, the American ones were faster and provided more fun.

 

If you ever get a chance when near the ocean, try and take in this rare event. See the video below for a touch of the excitement!

 

Continue reading Submarine Races at McInnes →

Mise Tales Four

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If you do not know what Mise Tales are then please see Mise Tales One.

I found this cute video on the Internet about a lighthouse keeper. In all the stories they seem to have problems to solve. It’s also true with real life lightkeepers too.

 [media url=”https://ccanadaht3.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Lighthouse_752x423_500.flv” width=”400″ height=”350″]

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Lighthouses in operation have declined due to the expense of maintenance. Let us take an artistic photograph of it for lifetime memory. – Digital Photography Review/Challenges 

Lots of lovely large photos of lighthouses at the link above – worldwide lighthouses – beautiful photos!

 [nggallery id=46] Continue reading Mise Tales Four →

Lighthouse History – 44 (1916-03-26 to 1916-08-25)

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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.

 

photo 4 sons of Fred Marshall Eastwood, who has been the lighthousekeeper at Race Rocks for 25 years. Mr Eastwood has family of 12, the oldest now left at home is only 10. Sons: J W, RCE, 3rd Div; Private E E, Signaller, 103rd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force; Private J M, 1st Canadian Pioneers; Private R, 88th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. [Colonist, 1916-03-26, p. 5]

 

Breakwater now showing up well…; May 11, 11 – 25 cribs placed; brkwtr now showing up well…; Jul 2, 16, 17; photos Aug 20, 17 – only 80′ work uncomplete…; Sep 9, 11 – steady progress… Jan 12, 1917 – to have imposing lighthouse… Jan 28, 21 – completion of ocean docks calls for action…; Feb 11, 25 – Parfitt brothers get lighthouse contract [Ogden point breakwater]; Feb 21, 11 – Foghorn needed on new brkwtr; photo Apr 1, 25 -; will add 5,000′ to docking space; Piers nearing completion… [Colonist, 1916-04-08, p. 11] Continue reading Lighthouse History – 44 (1916-03-26 to 1916-08-25) →

Book – 1855 Lights for Lighthouses

Books, Construction, England, Equipment, Foreign, History, Information, Light, Lighthouses, Reprint, United Kingdom, , , , , , ,

This book first published in 1855 is a copy of the original produced by the Chance Brothers factory. From the handwritten prices and information, it appears to be a salesman’s copy which would have been given to the prospective buyer. As each light was specifically made for one location only, then this would have been a one-of-a-kind catalogue. 

Download the complete book here in PDF format 22.5 MBs (60+ pages) – right click the link for more options)

If you wish to print the book, this scanned version size was 8.5″ x 11″ (21.5 x 28 cms.) 

BC Lightships

Lighthouses, , , , , , ,
Thomas F. Bayard Sandheads No. 16 - photograph Canadian Coast Guard

 

Canada had lightships – well, I know of one on the Fraser River – the Sandheads #16. It used to be situated at the mouth of the Fraser River. More information on the Sandheads Lightships here.

 

The website Vancouver History has this to say:

The Sandheads #16 lightship at the mouth of the Fraser, there since 1913, ended its service. This two-masted schooner had started life in New York in 1880 as the Thomas F. Bayard, a Delaware Bay pilot ship. (Thomas Bayard was a Delaware senator.) She had an interesting career, which can be read about here. The Bayard was purchased in 1978 by the Vancouver Maritime Museum, which has been restoring her to her condition as a West Coast sealer. Continue reading BC Lightships →

Triangle Island Light and the HMCS Galiano

Adult Memories, British Columbia, Communication, Construction, Equipment, Government, History, In Memorium, Incidents, Lighthouses, Military, Operators, Radio, Shipwrecks, Storms, Women, , , , , , ,
Back side of Triangle Island - Jack Bowerman photo from http://www.roughradio.ca

On the morning of October 30, 1918 in the vicinity of Triangle Island lighthouse, the HMCS Galiano foundered and sank.

Not much is known about the sinking, but the story is associated with the Triangle Island lighthouse because that was their last port of call. Triangle Island is remembered as the most remote, isolated, lonely and wind-swept piece of rock in which the government placed a lighthouse.

A friend of mine, John MacFarlane, created a website about all things nautical. In an email notification I learned about an excellent historical record of the HMCS Galiano written by Stephen Rybak.

Here is a taste from the article:

Miss Emily Brunton had been hired by the six bachelors staffing the radio station as a housekeeper. The 35 year–old Miss Brunton arrived on Triangle Island in 1916 and had introduced a little civility and good cooking to the station. It was to be her first trip off the wind-swept and treeless rock in 18 months.

Rybak, Stephen (2012) The Wreck of HMCS Galiano 1918. Nauticapedia.ca2012. 

 

Continue reading by clicking on the Nauticapedia link in blue just above.

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Triangle Island lighthouse was discontinued only a few years later, but an interesting sidelight to the story is that the main light is now on display at the Sooke Regional Museum just outside Victoria, BC. See the photo below:

Triangle Island light - © Alec Provan

 

 

Let’s Play Russian Roulette with the Spirit Bear

Beachcombing, Boats, British Columbia, Cruise Ship, Equipment, First Nations, Fisheries and Oceans, Fishing, Game, Government, History, Incidents, Kayak, Lighthouses, Oil Spills, Ships & Shipping, Shipwrecks, Storms, Travel, Visitors, Weather, Wildlife, , , , , , , , , , , ,

You all know my feelings about the Enbridge Pipeline project (aka Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines) currently being proposed for British Columbia. I am definitely against it. During my years on the BC lighthouses I saw many examples of poorly managed mines and fisheries. Let us stop this one before it gets started and one oil spill creates havoc on our beautiful BC coast. Please read this student’s opinion. – retlkpr

Posted by  from the Bishop’s University Student Newspaper

March 1, 2012 9:24 pm

Sure, they’re irreplaceable, but who cares?

We all like oil, because we like the benefits that come from oil: like our heat and our gasoline.  But we’re all hypocrites, because we don’t like to see the oil, pay for it, or sacrifice our lifestyles for it. —more

Click for larger image

In Memorium – Prospect Point Lighthouse – Automated!

Adult Memories, Anti-Automation, Automation, British Columbia, Equipment, Foghorns, History, In Memorium, Keepers, Light, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, , , , ,

Prospect Point Lighthouse

Latitude 49 18 50.4N, Longitude 123 08 29.1W       List of Lights #392 

Established: October 01, 1888       Automated: January 1926 

Three nautical miles east of Point Atkinson, situated at the base of a cliff, stands the lonely and short-lived lighthouse called Prospect Point.

The light was first manned in October 1888 and was overshadowed by the importance of the Signal Station on the cliff above. This signal station operated in conjunction with Brockton Point  to signal when ships were coming into or out of Vancouver Harbour. 

In January 1926 the poor lightkeeper was informed by the Department of Marine and Fisheries that the lighthouse would be electrified and would then be operated by the Prospect Point Signal Station. He was out of a job after years keeping both systems working.

Prospect Point Lighthouse keeper’s house 1920 – 1930
Photo by Cyril R. Littlebury from Dudley Booth Collection

Prospect Point Lighthouse (bottom) Signal Station (top)
Photo by Cyril R. Littlebury from Dudley Booth Collection

Princess Victoria passing Prospect inbound 1920 – 1930
Photo by Cyril R. Littlebury from Dudley Booth Collection

Princess Patricia Passing Prospect 1920 – 1930
Photo by Cyril R. Littlebury from Dudley Booth Collection

SS Prince Rupert Passing Prospect 1920 – 1930
Photo by Cyril R. Littlebury from Dudley Booth Collection

 

Prospect Point Signal Station 1920 – 1930
Photo by Cyril R. Littlebury from Dudley Booth Collection

The photo below shows what replaced the lighthouse – a concrete block structure with a light on top and several small electric foghorns.

 

Prospect Point 2006
Photo from Imran Flickr pages

 

Prospect Point 2006
Modern light, modern ship
Photo from pwhsu48 Webshots page.

As mentioned above, the Prospect Point and Brockton Point signal stations monitored ship traffic in and out of Vancouver harbour. 

Just across the harbour from Prospect Point, at the mouth of the Capilano river, was the tiny little-known Capilano lighthouse (aka First Narrows). (see Capilano webpage here.) 

Below is a photo taken from the mouth of the Capilano River showing Prospect Point today and the the probable view from the Capilano lighthouse. Beside it is a Google Earth map showing the exact location of the three lighthouses. 

Prospect Point 2006 From mouth of Capilano river
Notice – no signal station
Photo from Glamorous_Life Flickr page.

Google Earth map Showing Vancouver harbour lights
Photo from Google Earth printout.

In this 360° view you can see Prospect Point off the right-hand side of the bridge. As the scene sweeps across the harbour, The sandbanks of the Capilano River come into view with the dolphin visible in deeper water. (Zoom in using Shift, and out with Ctrl key; Pause by clicking on photo).

Keepers
John Grove PLK (1888-1926)  

Manual – 1953 Rules and Instructions for Lighthouse-Keepers

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Published in 1953, this book laid down the rules and regulations for Lighthouse-Keepers. It was the LAW!

Download the complete book here in PDF format (14.5 MBs – right click the link for more options)

If you wish to print the book, the published size was 6.5″ x 9.25″ (16.5 x 23.25 cms.)