Race Rocks Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
Race Rocks Light is one of two lighthouse
s that were built on the west coast of Canada
, financed by the British Government and illuminated in 1860. It is the only lighthouse on that coast built of rock, (granite) purportedly quarried in Scotland, and topped with sandstone quarried on Gabriola Island
. The Islands of Race Rocks are located just off the southern tip of Vancouver Island
, about 16 km southwest of Victoria, British Columbia
.
The lighthouse was built between 1859–1860 by the crew of HMS Topaze
and outside labourers under a contract awarded to John Morris by the British Government.. It was illuminated on 26 December 1860, six weeks after the smaller Fisgard Island lighthouse
built at the entrance to Esquimalt Harbour
near Victoria. In 2010, both lighthouses celebrated their sesquicentennial.
It has a 24.4 m cylindrical tower with black and white bands, and flashes a white light every 10 seconds. Its foghorn sounds three blasts at one minute intervals. On Christmas Day 1865 a group of five visiting the lightkeeper capsized their boat in a tide rip while attempting to land and all were drowned.
The lighthouse has been automated since 1997 at which time Lester B. Pearson College
took over the management of the station and the surrounding Race Rocks Marine Protected Area
. Restoration of the interior and exterior of the historic light tower was carried out in 2009.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
s that were built on the west coast of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, financed by the British Government and illuminated in 1860. It is the only lighthouse on that coast built of rock, (granite) purportedly quarried in Scotland, and topped with sandstone quarried on Gabriola Island
Gabriola Island
Gabriola Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia, in British Columbia , Canada. Gabriola lies about east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, to which it is linked by ferry...
. The Islands of Race Rocks are located just off the southern tip of Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, about 16 km southwest of Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
.
The lighthouse was built between 1859–1860 by the crew of HMS Topaze
HMS Topaze (1858)
HMS Topaze was a 24-gun Liffey class wooden screw frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 12 May 1858, at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth. Her crew assisted in the building of the Race Rocks Lighthouse in British Columbia, Canada, and laid a bronze tablet in 1863 at the Juan Fernández Islands...
and outside labourers under a contract awarded to John Morris by the British Government.. It was illuminated on 26 December 1860, six weeks after the smaller Fisgard Island lighthouse
Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site
Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site in Colwood, British Columbia, on Fisgard Island at the mouth of Esquimalt Harbour, is the site of Fisgard Lighthouse, the first lighthouse on the west coast of Canada.-History:...
built at the entrance to Esquimalt Harbour
Esquimalt Harbour
Esquimalt Harbour is a sheltered body of water in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is connected to the Strait of Juan de Fuca by a narrow channel known as Royal Roads. Its entrance is marked by Fisgard Lighthouse....
near Victoria. In 2010, both lighthouses celebrated their sesquicentennial.
It has a 24.4 m cylindrical tower with black and white bands, and flashes a white light every 10 seconds. Its foghorn sounds three blasts at one minute intervals. On Christmas Day 1865 a group of five visiting the lightkeeper capsized their boat in a tide rip while attempting to land and all were drowned.
The lighthouse has been automated since 1997 at which time Lester B. Pearson College
Lester B. Pearson College
Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific is one of thirteen United World Colleges around the world. It is named after the late Canadian Prime Minister Lester Bowles Pearson, winner of the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize and originator of the United Nations Peace Keeping program...
took over the management of the station and the surrounding Race Rocks Marine Protected Area
Race Rocks Marine Protected Area
Race Rocks is a marine ecological reserve in the eastern entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The reserve served as a Marine Protected Area pilot project and is now seeking Marine Protected Area designation after the first bid in 2000 was derailed in Ottawa. Started in 1978 as a marine science...
. Restoration of the interior and exterior of the historic light tower was carried out in 2009.