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 Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse | |
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| Location | Rimouski Quebec Canada |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 48°31′03″N68°28′07″W / 48.51750°N 68.46861°W /48.51750; -68.46861 |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1859 (first) |
| Construction | concrete tower |
| Automated | 1975  |
| Height | 108 feet (33 m) |
| Shape | sixteen-sided cylinder with eight buttresses tower |
| Markings | white tower, red lantern and balcony |
| Heritage | classified federal heritage building of Canada |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1909 (current) |
| Deactivated | 1975 |
| Lens | Third order Fresnel |
| Range | 22 nmi (41 km; 25 mi) |
| Official name | Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse National Historic Site of Canada |
| Designated | 1974 |
The 3rdPointe-Au-Père Lighthouse was built in 1909 in the city ofPointe-au-Père, nearRimouski,Quebec, Canada. This city was well known innaval circles as the location of thepilot station for the Bas-Saint-Laurent (lower St. Lawrence) zone. Pointe-au-Père has since been amalgamated into the larger city of Rimouski (2002).
The first lighthouse on the site, a wooden octagonal tower, was built in 1859 to guide boats through the difficultSt. Lawrence River at a cost of $1,453.61. The Government of Canada purchased the lighthouse in 1861. The first lighthouse burnt down in a fire 13 April, 1867, and was replaced by a newer lighthouse the same year.[1] The second lighthouse would remain as a residence and office on the site until being demolished in 1966.[2]
The thirdlighthouse is 108 feet (33 m) tall, which makes it the second tallest inCanada.[3] It is built in a characteristic shape, employing eight concretebuttresses to support a slender central cylinder. Ownership of the lighthouse was transferred toParks Canada in 1977. Improvements for the sake of conservation were made in 1979.[1]
An automated skeleton tower was constructed nearby in 1975 and remained in operation until the station was closed in 1997.[1] The site is now open for visitors as part of theSite historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père. TheRMSEmpress of Ireland shipwrecking, which sunk off the coast of Pointe-au-Père in 1914, is documented in the adjacent Empress of Ireland museum. Visitors can also see the first submarine open to the public in Canada,HMCS Onondaga (S73) at the same location.[3]
The site was designated aNational Historic Site in 1974,[4] and is considered a unit of the national park system. However, visitor services are provided by the non-profitPoint-au-Père Maritime Historic Site.
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