The Cove Island Light, at Gig Point on the island, is located in Fathom Five National Marine Park, but is not part of the Park. It is situated on the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, Canada. It has been a navigational aid in the narrow channel between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay since 30 October 1858. It was the first of six stone Imperial Towers to be completed; all were illuminated by 1859.[5] Most other lighthouses of the era were built of brick, wood, iron or concrete.[6]
The six were built at a time when commercial shipping traffic was increasing on the Great Lakes between Canada and the U.S. because of new trade agreements and the opening of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal locks in 1855. The settlement of the Bruce Peninsula was also well underway by then, making the lighthouses even more useful. They acted as navigational aids for the boats and ships on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. All are currently operating as automated lights.[7][6]
The Tower, Cove Island, Ontario, was formally registered on the Canadian Register of Historic Places on 14 November 2014.[8] The federal government restored the site in 2015–2016.[9]
History
The origin of the Imperial designation is not certain, but some historians speculate that because the towers were public construction built under the colonial administration while Canada was a self-governing colony of Britain, the name would assure at least some funding from the British Empire's Board of Trade.[10] All six Imperial towers, along with a limestone lightkeeper's dwelling, were constructed by John Brown (builder) from Thorold, Ontario, a contractor and stonemason.[11]
The design aspects of the tower are virtually identical to those of the Point Clark Lighthouse, well described in a Government of Canada document.[12]
The lamp itself underwent several transformations starting with an Argand lamp fueled with sperm whale oil, then a flat wick coal oil lamp, replaced with an oil vapour light about 1900. Vapourized kerosene was burned to keep the beacon aglow. An on-site generator provided electricity during the 1950s and in 1971, an underwater power cable was laid from Tobermory to the island.
The powerful "second order" Fresnel lens was manufactured by the Louis Saulter Company in Paris and installed by workmen from France inside the polygonal lantern with its three rows of rectangular glass panes.[13][6]
Lightstation on Cove Island
Similar in style to the other Imperial Towers lighthouses on Chantry Island, at Point Clark and on Griffith Island, Georgian Bay, the Cove Island lighthouse has five sets of stairs with 15 steps each, one set with 11 steps and the final curved iron stairway to the lamp room has nine steps (total: 95 steps). An iron door leads into the lamp room. The stone lightkeeper's cottage adjacent to the tower was built at the same time. The "new" lightkeepers house was built in 1970 a short distance from the tower.
This lightstation was continuously staffed from 1858 to 1991, making it the longest keeper-occupied light in Ontario.
The lighthouse tower, the original house and fog plant, a workshop, the assistant keeper's house and the modern lightkeeper's house make up the lightstation today. The light is currently a valuable aid to navigation operated by the Canadian Coast Guard; it is the only Imperial Tower that is still using the original Fresnel lens.[11] Although the facility has been renovated, access to the island is restricted so tours are not available. Views from the ferry or a private boat are excellent.
Lightkeepers
George F. Collins (1858–1860) was the first person to serve as light keeper at the Isle of Coves. Born in England, in 1817, George Collins went to sea at the young age of 12 where he traveled the world becoming a captain by his early 20s. In 1851, Collins immigrated to Canada to live in Kingston before moving to Collingwood in 1855.[14]
When the Imperial Towers were being built, applications for positions as light keepers came in from all over the country. With his maritime experience, George Collins applied for the Nottawasaga Island light near his home at Collingwood. Surprisingly, he was instead appointed keeper at the Isle of Coves. Collins' salary was $435 per year.[13]
Like the keeper at Point Clark, Collins was required to clean and whitewash the tower as required, to fuel the light and, twice a day, to wind up the clockwork-like mechanism—with weights and pulleys—that enabled the weights to rotate the lens.[14]
David McBeath, on the other hand, applied for the light keeper's position at Isle of Coves, and was initially given the job at Nottawasaga instead. Eventually, in 1860, the two were able to switch jobs.
David McBeath (1860 - 1872) of all the fascinating stories the Isle of Coves Light station has to tell, nothing compares with the drama of David McBeath and his family running out of food with the lake already freezing. Provisions finally arrived on a steamship before they starved.[15]
William McBeath (1872 - 1876)
Bryce Millar, (1876 – 1878)
George Currie (1878–1902) is remembered for his part in the aftermath of the sinking of the schooner 'Regina' off Gat Point, Cove Island, on 10 September 1866. The ship sank and the captain, Amos Tripp, a "mysterious character" according to some reports drowned during the storm. His body was found on Cove Island by George Currie. The body was returned to the family two weeks later.[16]
William Collier (1902 - 1903)
Kenneth McLeod (1903 - 1912)
William Simpson (1912 - 1915)
Jack Leslie (1915 - 1945)
Harold ("Hal") Banas (1945-1946) lived on the island with his wife Iris and his brother, assistant keeper Earl Banas. Hal and Iris had married in a ceremony on the island.[13]
Russell Botham, (1947–1948)
William (Bill) Spears (1949–1976) knew that his work must continue, transmitting information to Wiarton in addition to operating the light. Even when he was seriously ill with mumps in 1954, he had to continue radio reports while spending long days between the generator engines.[17]
Robert (Bob) Nelder (1977 – 1981)
Jack Vaughn was the last light keeper at Cove Island (1982-1991).[18] Because of automation, his role was virtually one of caretaker, particularly in the last few years.[13]
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To its northwest is the North Channel.
The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada, that divides Georgian Bay of Lake Huron from the lake's main basin. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of Southwestern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, with which it forms the widest strait joining Georgian Bay to the rest of Lake Huron. The Bruce Peninsula contains part of the geological formation known as the Niagara Escarpment. The entire peninsula and nearby communities to the south along Lake Huron are located within Bruce County, Ontario.
Southampton is a community on the shores of Lake Huron in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. It is close to Port Elgin and is located at the mouth of the Saugeen River in the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory. The size of the town is 6.44 square kilometres. The permanent population in 2016 was 3,678, but the summer population is higher since cottagers and campers spend vacation time in the area.
The Imperial Towers of Ontario were six of the earliest lighthouses built on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, all constructed primarily of stone, by the Province of Canada. The origin of the designation Imperial is not certain, but some historians speculate that because the towers were public construction built under the colonial administration while Canada was a self-governing colony of Britain, the name would assure at least some funding from the British Empire's Board of Trade.
John Brown was a Canadian builder of Scottish origin.
Point Clark is a lakefront cottage community on Lake Huron, in the municipality of Huron-Kinloss, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately 15 kilometres south of Kincardine and 40 kilometres north of Goderich. Main streets include Huron Road and Lake Range Road. Point Clark is served by Highway 21 (Ontario). It is a cottage town, and has a rare Imperial Tower style lighthouse. There is a sandy beach and a small harbour with a boat ramp. There are two streams or rivers that run into Lake Huron around Point Clark: Clark Creek and Pine River. There is a separate harbour in the mouth of the Pine River. Amberley is just outside and to the south of Point Clark and Lucknow is to the south-east of Point Clark.
Chantry Island is a small island in Lake Huron, south of the mouth of the Saugeen River and approximately a kilometre off the shores of the town of Southampton, Ontario. It is approximately 19 hectares in size and is a migratory bird sanctuary. Since the sanctuary territory extends 183 metres into the water surrounding the island, the total official area is listed as 63 hectares.
Sambro Island Lighthouse is a landfall lighthouse located at the entrance to Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, on an island near the community of Sambro in the Halifax Regional Municipality. It is the oldest surviving lighthouse in North America and its construction is a National Historic Event.
The Tarpaulin Cove Light is a historic lighthouse on Naushon Island, one of the Elizabeth Islands of southern Massachusetts. It is located in the town of Gosnold, Massachusetts. Built on the site of a light station first established privately in the 18th century, the current tower dates from 1891. A keeper's house built at the same time has not survived. The light is 78 feet (24 m) above Mean High Water, and its white light is visible for 9 nautical miles.
Point Clark Lighthouse is located on in a beach community, Point Clark, Ontario, near a point that protrudes into Lake Huron. Built between 1855 and 1859 under the instructions of the Board of Works, Canada West, it is one of the few on the Great Lakes to be made primarily from stone. It is one of the Imperial Towers, a group of six nearly identical towers built by contractor John Brown for the "Province of Canada" on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, all completed by 1859. The location for the Point Clark lighthouse was selected to warn sailors of the shoals (sandbars) 2 miles (3.2 km) off the Lake Huron coast. It is still functioning as an automated light. A restoration that eventually exceeded $2.3 million started in 2011 and the facility reopened for tourism in June 2015.
The history of lighthouses in Canada dates to 1734.
Cape Byron Light, also called Cape Byron Lightstation, is an active heritage-listed lighthouse and now interpretative centre, interpretative space, maritime museum, administration office, retail building, accommodation, tourist attraction and visitor attraction located at Cape Byron on the Far North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Charles Harding and Cecil W. Darley and built from 1899 to 1901 by Messrs Mitchell & King. It is also known as Cape Byron Lightstation, Byron Bay Lighthouse, Cape Byron Headland and Cape Byron Headland Reserve. The property is owned by NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service.
Double Island Point Light is an active lighthouse located at the summit of Double Island Point, a coastal headland within the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park. It is located at the southern end of Wide Bay, 70 kilometres (43 mi) north of Noosa Heads, Queensland, Australia.
The Kincardine Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located in Kincardine, Ontario, near the mouth of the Penetangore River. Built in 1881, it is 24.4 metres tall and was built above the light keeper's home. The tower is eight sided and sits on a stone foundation. The facility has been renovated and is now the Kincardine Yacht Club and a museum. It is open for tours from July 1 to Labour Day.
The major Trial Island is home to the Trial Islands Lighthouse which is operated by the Canadian Coast Guard, and continues to be staffed by two full-time lightkeepers. The current lighthouse was erected in 1970 to replace the original lighthouse that was constructed in 1906. The fourth order Fresnel lens from 1906 was used until it was replaced in 1970. That original lens was on display courtesy of the Maritime Museum of British Columbia in Bastion Square in Downtown Victoria, but was later moved into storage with the Coast Guard.
The Woody Island Lighthouses are a pair of heritage-listed lighthouses at Big Woody Island in the Great Sandy Strait, Hervey Bay, Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. They were built from 1866 to 1870. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 30 March 2001.
The Chantry Island Lighthouse, officially known as Chantry Island Lightstation Tower, is a lightstation on Chantry Island, off the coast of Southampton, Ontario in Lake Huron. It was constructed in the years 1855 through to 1859, by John Brown of Thorold, Ontario, under the authority of the Province of Canada and is recognized as one of the six Imperial Towers. Virtually identical, they were completed in 1858-1859 on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay and are among the few lighthouses on the Great Lakes made of cut limestone and granite.
The Gannet Rock Lighthouse is a Canadian lighthouse located on a rocky islet 8 miles (13 km) south of Grand Manan in the Bay of Fundy. It was first lit in 1831 and was staffed until 1996. It was solarized in 2002 and remains operational in 2023. It was declared "surplus to requirements" by the Canadian Coast Guard in 2010 and is no longer being maintained.
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