Caribou Island Lighthouse
The current light was built in 1912 and flashes white every 15 seconds. It's a hexagonal concrete tower with six flying buttresses and is 31.5 meters or 103 feet tall making it the tallest tower on the Great Lakes. The original octagonal wooden lighthouse and fog-alarm was completed in 1886. The tower was 76 feet above the level of the lake.
Details
Notes
This location was extremely dangerous to get to and there are lots of stories of deaths and rescues of the various keepers and their families over the year. Lighthouse Friends has all the details.
Sources and Further Learning
Lighthouse keepers: R. May 1886 – 1887 Charles James Pim 1887–1898 Wilbrod O. Demers 1899–1906 Antoine Boucher 1907–1912 George W. Johnston 1912–1921 J. George Penfold 1921–1922 John W. Kennedy 1922–1928 Charles N. McDonald 1928–1935 Arthur W. Hurley 1935–1962 Alfred Thibeault 1962–1964 George Rutherford 1964–? Reg Dawson (at least 1968) Bert Hopkin
Sources and Further Learning
Caribou Island’s second-order Fresnel lens was manufactured by Chance Brothers of England and was originally rotated by means of a grandfather-clock-type mechanism using weights to turn the gears of the apparatus. These weights were fastened to a cable which dropped down through the centre of the lighthouse. In order to keep the light rotating, the keeper would have to crank up the weight every six hours. Friction in the turntable apparatus was kept to a minimum by using a mercury bath as the flotation medium. The giant lens would produce the following pattern every ten seconds: 0.5-second flash, 1.2-second eclipse, 0.5-second flash, 1.2-second eclipse, 0.5-second flash, 6.1-second eclipse. The 2nd source is a website is the history on the Chance Brothers out of the UK.
Sources and Further Learning
Caribou Island Lighthouse was added to the Canadian Registry of Historic Places on October 22, 2008. Heritage value from the website: The Light Tower on Caribou Island was designated a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of its architectural and historical significance and because of its importance to the character of its setting. Built during a transitional phase in the development of reinforced concrete light tower construction, it is landmark in the evolution of light tower design in Canada. Its six buttresses illustrate a short-lived but uniquely Canadian experiment in tower design and construction. Higher and more tapered than examples built before it, the Light Tower is an assured expression of reinforced concrete technology at an early stage of its development in Canada. It is among the most impressive lights on the Great Lakes. The construction of the Light Tower marked an increase in shipping activity on the Great Lakes and the availability of increased funds for lighthouse design and construction. The scale of the tower and the constricted character of the island on which it is built make it the clearly dominant element in the landscape.
Sources and Further Learning
In 1992 the light station was solarized and a 12-volt D/C rotating beacon was installed in the lantern room. At that time the lens was removed and is now on display at the Canadian Coast Guard base in Parry Sound.