Point Atkinson Lighthouse

Point Atkinson Lighthouse in 2022

Point Atkinson Lighthouse

The lighthouse is located to alert ships entering Burrard Inlet.
Location	Strait of Georgia Burrard Inlet West Vancouver British Columbia Canada
Coordinates	49°19′49″N123°15′53″W / 49.3304°N 123.2646°W / 49.3304; -123.2646
Tower
Constructed	1875 (first); 1912 (current)
Construction	concrete tower
Automated	1996
Height	18 metres (59 ft)
Shape	octagonal truncated six ribbed tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	white tower, red balcony and lantern
Operator	West Vancouver Lighthouse Park [1]
Heritage	national Historic Sites of Canada, recognized federal heritage building of Canada
Light
First lit	1912
Focal height	33 metres (108 ft)
Range	15 nmi (28 km; 17 mi)
Characteristic	Fl (2) W 5s.
Built	1912
Architect	William Anderson
Governing body	District of West Vancouver
Website	District of West Vancouver: Lighthouse Park
National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	May 18, 1974
Reference no.	12768

Point Atkinson Lighthouse is a lighthouse erected on Point Atkinson, a headland in West Vancouver, British Columbia named after Captain George Vancouver in 1792, when he was exploring the Pacific Northwest in the ship Discovery . The first wooden lighthouse went into service in 1875 and was replaced by a reinforced concrete structure in 1914.

History

The first lighthouse at the site was a wooden structure with an attached keeper's house, built by Arthur Finney of Nanaimo in 1874. It did not go into service until the following year because initially the wrong light was sent from England. The beacon was lit for the first time 17 March 1875. ^[2]

The light was 95 ft (29 m) above the sea and was visible for 14 mi (23 km). When the visibility was poor, ship captains would sound their foghorn three times, prompting the lightkeeper to pump a horn by hand until the vessel signalled that it was safe to desist. ^[3]

In 1889, Canadian Pacific Steamships demanded that a fog alarm be added. This was located in a separate building to the west of the lighthouse. It had a rotating drum which was driven by steam to make an audible sound. In 1902, this was replaced by a diaphone fog alarm in which a slotted piston moved inside a similarly slotted cylinder. ^[3]

Point Atkinson Lighthouse in May 2022

The present lighthouse was built in 1914 on granite boulders jutting out into Burrard Inlet in West Vancouver, Canada. The concrete structure was considered at the time innovative in lighthouse design. It is now automated and still in use. ^[4]

The Point Atkinson Lighthouse may be reached by hiking the Valley Trail in Lighthouse Park. ^[5]

Lighthouse Park as seen from Altamont in the east

Keepers

• Edward Woodward 1874–1877
• Robert G. Wellwood 1877–1880
• Walter Erwin 1880–1910
• Thomas David Grafton 1910–1933
• Lawrence Walter Grafton 1933–1935
• Ernest Charles Dawe 1935–1961
• Gordon Odlum 1961–1976
• James Barr 1976–1978
• Oscar Edwards 1978–1980
• Gerald D. Watson 1980–1996
• Donald Graham 1980–1996 ^[3]

See also

• List of lighthouses in British Columbia
• List of lighthouses in Canada
• Lighthouse Park
• List of national historic sites of Canada
• Henri de Miffonis
• Brockton Point

References

1. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Canada: Southern British Columbia". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved December 27, 2015.
2. "Point Atkinson". BC Geographical Names .
3. Point Atkinson Lighthouse Lighthouse Friends
4. "Point Atkinson Lighthouse National Historic Site of Canada". HistoricPlaces. Parks Canada. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
5. Point Atkinson Lighthouse - Maintaining the Light Archived 2013-10-18 at the Wayback Machine West Vancouver Museum and Archives

External links

• Aids to Navigation Canadian Coast Guard