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Thursday, November 8, 2012

Nakalele Light, Maui, Hawaii



The minor light of Nakalele is located at the most North West point on the island of Maui, Hawaii. It is found along the coastal highway in the Honokohau area which is North East of Kapalua.  A light was originally established here in 1908. Photos taken in October 2012.

McGregor Point, Ma'alaea, Maui, Hawaii


 



 


This minor light of Maui is located on the South West part of the island of Maui, Hawaii, just one mile South West of Ma'alaea Harbour on Highway 30 (Honoapiilani Highway).  A light was originally established here in 1906 and the current light is from 1915. Photos taken in October 2012.

Lahaina Lighthouse, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii



 




 




 

The lighthouse at the town of Lahaina on the South West side of the island of Maui, Hawaii is located at the main boat harbour adjacent to the wharf directly in front of the Pioneer Inn.  The first light at Lahaina was constructed in 1840. The current light was built in 1917.  Photos taken in October 2012.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Nootka Lighthouse, Yuquot (Friendly Cove), British Columbia




Yuquot, also known as Friendly Cove, is situated at the entrance to Nootka Sound on the West side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The location has a long history and was the place that European explorers first had contact with First Nations peoples in what is now known as British Columbia.  Friendly Cove is the traditional home of the Mowachaht peoples. Both the Spanish and British explored the area, with Captain James Cook being the first in 1778. The Spanish established a naval post here for a number of years prior to 1795. The Spanish and the British squabbled over ownership but both eventually abandoned the site after the signing of the 3rd Nootka Convention and the Mowachaht peoples reoccupied the cove. In 1906 the local store keeper established a light at the site to assist mariners entering the sound.  A petition was sent to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia requesting a light be built on the site and in 1910 construction began with the light being turned on in March 1911.  Today it remains as one of the few remaining staffed lighthouses in Canada.  I visited the site on a day trip aboard the Uchuck III, a working coastal vessel that also takes tourists to some of the remote places in Nootka Sound.  The Uchuck III is a wooden hulled converted American Yard Minesweeper (1942).  In addition to visiting the Nootka Lighthouse, the visit to Yuquot  also afforded me the opportunity to learn some of the history of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht people. Friendly Cove was declared a National Historic Site by the Canadian Government in 1923 and the signifance of the First Nations history was further recognized in 1997. The photos were taken in July 2012. Many thanks to Joanne and Mark the resident lightkeepers for their hospitality. It was great to hear first hand a bit about the lifestyle of lightkeepers.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Bandon South Jetty, Bandon, Oregon


The Bandon South Jetty Light is an automated beacon and fog signal that sits on a stone breakwater on the South side of the Coquille River where it enters the Pacific Ocean in the town of Bandon, Oregon. This small light replaced the Coquille River Lighthouse in 1939. The Coquille River Lighthouse is on the North Side of the Coquille River just upstream from the South Jetty Light.  Photos taken in June 2012.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

New Dungeness Light Station, Sequim, Washington




The New Dungeness Light Station is located at the end of the five mile long Dungeness Spit just West of Sequim, Washington on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  It is accessed only by hiking the spit which is part of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. The light was the first light on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and one of the four earliest lighthouses constructed in Washington. The light was first lit in December 1857. In 1868 eighteen Tsimshian Indian were massacred by S'Klallam Indians on a second spit that juts out from Dungeness. One wounded and pregnant woman survived and made her way to the light station and was protected by the keeper and his wife. In 1976 the Fresnel light was removed and replaced by a rotating bulls eye prism and automated. Since 1994 the New Dungeness Light Station Association has maintained the station and volunteer keepers live at the station for a week at a time, maintaining the grounds and buildings and acting as tour guides for visitors. The station is on the National Register of Historic Places. A visit to the light is well worth the hike.  Photos taken in June 2012.

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, Cannon Beach, Oregon


The Tillamook Rock Lighthouse sits atop Tillamook Rock approximately one mile from Ecola State Park, just North of Cannon Beach, Oregon. Construction of the lighthouse commenced in 1879 and took 525 days to build due to the trecherous weather conditions. It was lit for the first time in January 1881. Over the years it became known as "Terrible Tilly" due to the severe weather conditions that the lighthouse and it's keepers had to endure. During a storm in October 1934 a boulder was tossed into the lantern room by the sea and smashed the Fresnel lens.  The light was decomissioned and turned off in 1957 replaced by a whistle bouy one mile further offshore. Since then the lighthouse has changed hands several times, the most recent owners converting it to a columbarium called "The Eternity at Sea Columbarium" however only a small number of ashes have been placed on the rock to date.  Photos taken in June 2012.

Cleft of the Rock (Cape Perpetua) Lighthouse, Yachats, Oregon



The Cleft of the Rock Lighthouse, also known as Cape Perpetua Lighthouse, is one of two privately owned lighthouses in Oregon that are listed as official aids to navigation. It is located just South of Yachats, Oregon. This lighthouse was built in 1976 by James A. "Jim" Gibbs, a former lighthouse keeper and marine historian. Mr. Gibbs, who passed away in 2010, wrote many maritime books, several about lighthouses. Mr. Gibbs constructed the lighthouse based on the former Fiddle Reef Lighthouse, Oak Bay, British Columbia. The light is a halogen globe that is visible for 16 miles.  The light was obtained from the Canadian Coast Guard. The name, Cleft of Rock, came from a hymn by Fanny J. Crosby - "He Hideth My Soul in the Cleft of the Rock" (Exodus 33:22). Photos taken in June 2012.

Cape Arago Lighthouse, Coos Bay, Oregon


The Cape Arago Light Station was originally established in 1886. The current lighthouse was constructed in 1909 and was deactivated in 2005. In 2008 a bill was passed transferring the title to the land to the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.  The light is difficult to get close to and my somewhat distant photos were taken in June 2012.

Coquille River Lighthouse, Bandon, Oregon



The Coquille River Lighthouse is located on the North side of the Coquille River, across from the town of Bandon, Oregon. It currently sits in Bullard's Beach State Park. Construction of the lighthouse commenced in 1895 and the lamp was first lit in 1896. The light was decomissioned in 1939 and replaced by a fog signal and beacon on the South Jetty in Bandon, across the river. The lighthouse sat abandoned for many years. When the state park was created, it took responsibility for the lighthouse and the building was restored in 1976 and a solar powered light was eventually placed in the tower in 1991.  The building is illuminated with Christmas lights each December. Photos taken in June 2012.

Cape Blanco Lighthouse, Cape Blanco, Oregon



The Cape Blanco Lighthouse is located on a high bluff at Cape Blanco just North of Port Orford, Oregon. The lighthouse commenced operation in December 1870.  It was automated in 1980.  In 1992 vandals damaged the lens, but it was able to be repaired and was back in operation by 1994. The light has been open to visitors since 1996 and is part of Cape Blanco State Park. Photos were taken in June 2012.

Pelican Bay Lighthouse, Brookings, Oregon

The Pelican Bay Lighthouse is one of two private lighthouses on the Oregon Coast that is recognized as an offical aid to navigation by the Federal Government.  The owner, Mr. Bill Cady originally built the lighthouse as an addition to his house in 1990. The house was moved to its present location above the Port of Brookings (Brookings Harbor) in Brookings, Oregon in 1997. Mr. Cady received permission to light the lantern in 1999 and it was first lit on July 4th, 1999. The lamp is a fixed acrylic Fresnel lens and can be seen from a range of 11 miles. It is lit daily from dusk to dawn. Mr. Cady's father was a former lighthouse keeper in California.  It is the most Southerly light in Oregon. Photos taken in June 2012.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Faux Light, Port Townsend, Washington

Although not a real lighthouse, this house on the bluff overlooking Port Townsend Bay in Port Townsend, Washington is a great replica light. It is located on Washington Street just South of the downtown area of Port Townsend, near the Jefferson County Courthouse. Photo taken in May 2012.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Marrowstone Point Lighthouse, Marrowstone Island, Washington



The Marrowstone Point Lighthouse is located on Marrowstone Island at the North end of Puget Sound in Washington State. It sits at the North East tip of Marrowswone Island just East of Port Townsend Bay. The station was originally established around 1888. The current light is a beacon on a square concrete building. The keepers house from 1896 sits just South of the light. Fort Flagler was built just above the light in 1907 to help protect the entrance to the Sound. The light is on  Coast Guard property and is surrounded by the current Fort Flagler State Park.  Photos taken in May 2012.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Reed's Point (Three Sisters or Three Lights), Saint John, New Brunswick




Although it is not a lighthouse, the Reed Point light was an aid to navigation for ships entering Saint John harbour. A plaque at the site gives the following information: "1842 - A navigational signal lamp was erected on this site; 1847 - A single gas lamp was erected by the Saint John Gas Co. and dedicated to the habour pilots of Saint John; 1848 -The Saint John Gas Co. commissioned Alexander Campbell to replace the single lamp with three lamps on a trident; 1967 - The restoration of the "Three Lamps" was undertaken by H.S. Gregory & Sons Ltd and the Saint John Iron Works Ltd; On October 3, 1967 the "Three Lamps" were rededicated to the Sint John Harbour Pilots and this plaque erected in memory of the men who lost their lives in the sinking of pilot boat #6 which was cut in two on January 14, 1957 by SS Fort Avalon while on station in thick vapor. Tempature 22 degrees below zero. All Hands Lost." The light is also known locally as the "Three Sisters" light and there is differing opinion on the origin of that name. Some say it is from faithful sisters who waited on that spot waiting for their men to return from the sea. Others say it is from three stars in the Northern Constellation "Perseus". Whatever the origin, the light is a local icon and worth a visit. Photos taken in March 2012.

Updates

New photos added to the post of the Bayswater Lighthouse and the Saint John Harbour Lighthouse, both in New Brunswick.

Courtenay Bay Breakwater Light, Saint John, New Brunswick



This light, formerly a gun battery from WWII is situated at the end of a long breakwater at the Southeast entrance to Saint John harbour, Saint John, New Brunswick. The start of the breakwater is on the property of the Irving Oil refinery and is not accessible to the public. The light was established at this point in 1927. Distant photos taken in March 2012.

Partridge Island Lighthouse, Saint John, New Brunswick



Situated at the Southwest entrance to the Saint John Harbour, there has been a lighthouse on Partridge Island since 1791, the oldest light station in New Brunswick. The current light is from 1961. Although the island is connected to the mainland by a rock breakwater, the end of the breakwater is fenced and the island is not open to the public. This island is also the site of what was believed to be the first steam powered fog signal in the world (1859). These distant photos were taken in March 2012.

Wilmot Bluff Lighthouse, Oromocto, New Brunswick





Located on the Southwest shore of the Saint John River near Oromocto Island, the Wilmot Bluff Lighthouse was first established in 1869 along with several of the other river lights. The current tower is from 1908 and was decomissioned in 1967. The light is on private property which is owned and maintained by the decendents of the last lightkeeper. The light sits on a high bluff which is some distance back from the river's edge. The light is not far from the Fredericton Airport. Photographs taken in March 2012.

Market Square Lighthouse (Faux), Saint John, New Brunswick


This replica (faux) lighthouse sits outside the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre and the Hilton Hotel in downtown Saint John, New Brunswick. It is directly across from the Saint John Lighthouse and just down from the relocated Digby Wharf Lighthouse. Photo was taken in March 2012.

Gagetown Lighthouse, Gagetown, New Brunswick




Gagetown Lighthouse is situated on the West shore of the Saint John River just south of the town of Gagetown, New Brunswick. It is adjacent to the Gagetown - Lower Jemsig Ferry dock. The site was established in 1895 and the current light was built in the 1930's. The area is subject to flooding and this light has been damaged on several occassions. Photos taken in March 2012.