Cape Croker Lighthouse facts for kids
| Location | Cape Croker Georgian Bay Ontario Canada |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°57′21.5″N 80°57′37.9″W / 44.955972°N 80.960528°W |
| Year first constructed | 1898 (first) 1902 (current) |
| Year first lit | 1902 (current) |
| Deactivated | 1986 |
| Construction | concrete tower |
| Tower shape | octagonal |
| Markings / pattern | white tower, red balcony and lantern |
| Height | 15.9 metres (52 ft) |
| Focal height | 18.7 metres (61 ft) |
| Original lens | Fresnel lens |
| Canada number |
The Cape Croker Lighthouse is a tall tower with a bright light. It helps ships find their way safely. You can find it on the southeast side of the Neyaashiinigmiing 27 native reserve in Ontario, Canada. This area is part of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.
The very first lighthouse here was built in 1898. But it was replaced in 1902 with the lighthouse you see today. This lighthouse was special because it was the first of its kind. It was also the first to have a light and foghorn that ran on electricity. The lighthouse is shaped like an octagon and stands about 18 metres (59 ft) (about 59 feet) tall. Its light could shine up to 24 km (15 mi) (about 15 miles) away!
Contents
The Lighthouse Story
First Lighthouse
The first lighthouse at Cape Croker was made of wood. It was built in 1898 and also had a foghorn. This wooden tower stood about 65 feet (20 m) (about 20 meters) from the water's edge. It was 25 feet (7.6 m) (about 7.6 meters) tall and painted white.
This lighthouse was very important for Canada. It was the first lighthouse in the country to use electric power. Both its light and foghorn ran on electricity made right there at the site. Building the lighthouse cost $3,559. The engines and power plant cost another $3,358.
Today's Lighthouse
Richard Chapman was the first person to look after the lighthouse. He was called the "keeper." After just one month, he found that the electric equipment wasn't working well. So, he had to use a regular oil lamp until the problem was fixed.
In 1903, the lighthouse's light pattern was changed. It would shine steadily for 23 seconds, then have a short pause. That same year, a new foghorn was added. It used compressed air instead of electricity. This new horn would sound for 15 seconds, then be silent for 15 seconds.
In 1905, a separate building was built for the fog alarm. It was just south of the lighthouse, close to the water. A few years later, in 1908, a concrete well was added. A dock was also built to bring in coal and other supplies.
In 1927, the old steam-powered fog alarm was replaced with one that used oil. For a long time, the lighthouse was quite lonely. It was hard to reach except by boat or by walking. But then, a keeper named Norman Whetton spent two years building a road. Once the road was finished, he and his family could drive to the lighthouse. They would arrive in April and leave in December each year.
Another keeper, John Adams, worked there from 1968 to 1979. He once stopped a fire when lightning hit the fog alarm building! The last keeper was Fredric Jerome Proulx. He worked there for six years, leaving in 1986.
In 1975, the keeper's house and the fog alarm building were taken down. Only the concrete lighthouse remained. In 2007, the Canadian Coast Guard removed the special Fresnel lens from the tower. They did this to keep it safe from damage. The Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre then worked to get the lens. In 2009, the museum proudly received the lens to display.
A Poem About the Light
In 1966, Juanita Bourke, who was Keeper Norman Whetton's wife, wrote a poem. It was published in a magazine that year. It tells a fun story about life at the lighthouse around Christmas time.
On “The Light” Before Christmas
‘Twas ten days before Christmas and all through the night
Snowflakes danced in the rays of Cape Croker’s big light.
Santa jingled his bells up at the North Pole
While I scanned the road full of drifts and potholes.
The wilderness road that would take us from here
Had ruts deep enough to gulp Santa’s reindeer.
December was up to its usual tricks
And I thought, with a sigh, “We are in a fix!”
I sprang from my chair to view Georgian Bay -
The Season’s last freighter was passing our way.
There was one thing to do ere the end of the year -
Close up the station and get out of here.
Then in a flash, while the fog-horn did clatter,
I saw just the way to settle the matter.
All it would take- now, what was that word?
What we needed was a whirly-bird!
A ‘chopper to sky-lift us over the bluffs
To avoid all the drifts, the potholes and ruts.
Oh for a helicopter, Saint Nicholas, please -
So we can be home for Christmas Eve!
Lighthouse Keepers
Here are the people who worked as keepers at the Cape Croker Lighthouse:
- Richard Chapman (1902 – 1910)
- William J. Chapman (1910 – 1940)
- Captain J.D. Chapman (1940)
- NWesley Morrison (1940 – 1942)
- Norman Whetton (1942 – 1965)
- NFrank Rourke (1965 – 1968)
- John Adams (1968 – 1979)
- Fredric Jerome Proulx (1980 – 1986)
