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Courtesy Parks Canada
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DENNIS G. JARVIS
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Courtesy Parks Canada
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Courtesy Parks Canada
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Courtesy Parks Canada
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Courtesy Parks Canada
By Emilie Devoe
The Pointe-au-Père lighthouse is an outstanding heritage treasure that bears witness to the crucial importance of the station in Canada’s maritime history.
From 1859 to 1997, the light and sound produced by the Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse guided thousands of ships. For over 50 years the site was also the official base for pilots plying the St. Lawrence Estuary. Located at the meeting-point of the river and sea, the station was for many years one of Canada’s leading navigational aid centres. It was designated as a national historic site in 1974, in view of its dual contribution to Canadian maritime history.
Today the bold, elegant profile of this lighthouse continues to rise above the St. Lawrence shoreline. Its signature tower, boasting architecture unlike practically any other in Canada, remains an irreplaceable landmark and seamark.
The Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse National Historic Site invites you to discover this fascinating page of our maritime history!
Plus:
- It is one of the tallest lighthouses in the country, with a height of 33 metres (108 feet).
- Built in 1909, its reinforced concrete tower with eight buttresses presents a bold architecture. At the time, reinforced or “ferro-concrete” had just come onto the structural engineering radar. There were very few examples of it in Canada. But that didn’t keep the ministry’s intrepid engineers from specifying it for new lighthouse construction. The Pointe-au-Père structure is one of six flying buttress lighthouses still standing at attention across the Canadian landscape.
- Its dioptric lantern (a one-and-a-half-ton beacon of glass and brass!) and its still intact interior staircase are originals. And what a spectacular view, up there! Really worth to climb all 128 steps!
Main associated buildings
For over 100 years, Pointe-au-Père was home to several workers and their families. For the lighthouse keeper, keeper’s assistant, fog alarm engineer, and pilots, the station was not only a workplace, but a thriving community.
The Lighthouse Keeper’s House
The lightkeeper and his assistant played their part in the safe navigation of this section of the river. They stood watch around the clock, taking quarter hour shifts in turn throughout the navigation season.
In the early morning hours, the lightkeeper extinguished the lighthouse light, cleaned its reflectors and glass panes, trimmed lamp wicks, and refilled receptacles with oil. While these tasks took all morning, completing them ensured that the light could be relit an hour before sunset without any difficulty.
Plenty of other chores waited: keeping up buildings and grounds, manually launching sound signals when needed, filling out reports and log entries, measuring tides. Fortunately there was an assistant to help share the workload. These dependable, resourceful individuals who kept the station going also gave Pointe-au-Père its very soul.
Built in 1956, this square, two-storey, hipped-roof house was home to the keeper and his family. Today, it features 'Dive Your History!', an exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Service. Come admire 50 photos showcasing the richness of our underwater heritage and how the fascinating work of archaeologist/divers has evolved over time. Thanks to these images, you’ll travel from one end of the country to the other and explore archaeological sites that are sometimes inaccessible to the general public.
The Engineer’s House
Built in 1905 for the fog alarm engineer, it later became the home of the lighthouse keeper and then the keeper’s assistant. The two-storey house with drip mouldings and gabled dormers has a gambrel roof, making it unique among light station houses in Canada. It is the only remaining house of its kind in Québec.
Fog Alarm Shed
Pointe-au-Père was a veritable laboratory for testing different types of sound signals prior to their implementation at other lighthouse stations in Canada. The fog alarm shed bears witness to the station’s little-known role in this type of testing.
This shed housed the station’s sound signal. This signal guided navigators during foggy weather, when the lighthouse beacon was of no use as a navigational aid.
Built in 1903, it is the lighthouse station’s oldest extant structure! It has retained many original features, including its architectural elements (e.g., wood construction, cedar shingle cladding, gable roof, etc.), simple contours and fenestration.
Pssst... Father who?
Father Henri Nouvel is the “Père” (Father) in Pointe-au-Père. He celebrated the first mass on these shores in 1663.
Today, at Pointe-au-Père...
Things changed with the emergence of new technologies like reflectorless lamps and compressed air sound signals. When automation became widespread in the 1970s, the station was profoundly affected. Everything became electronic, requiring only sporadic visits by an inspector.
The profession of lightkeeper has been carried away by the tide of modernity. But at Pointe-au-Père, the memory of these strong men—who spent years ensuring safe passage on the St. Lawrence—remains alive today.
Next to the Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse National Historic Site...
Visit the 'Site historique maritime de Pointe-au-Père' and come aboard the Onondaga, the only submarine open to the public in Canada! Discover the lifestyle of submarine crew members confined within a 90 meter ship for months. The audio-guided tour will take you into a fascinating journey.
Also, the Empress of Ireland Pavilion presents the history of the Empress of Ireland passenger ship, from its construction in 1906 to its tragic sinking on May 29. Discover a large collection of objects from the wreck, period photos, interactive terminals and eyewitness accounts. Relive the emotion of that tragic night during a multimedia show that recreates the ship's last voyage.
Location: 1034, rue du Phare, Pointe-au-Père, Québec - From Highway 20, take exit 621 or 5 km east of Rimouski by way of Road 132. For further details, visit parkscanada.gc.ca/pointeaupere