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   <title>Heritage Perspectives:Lighthouse Closings Coming </title>
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        <p align="center"><img border="0" src="../images/cvoiceslogo.jpg" width="550" height="59">
<br>Now appearing  in the North Bay Nugget�s regional paper&nbsp; �Community Voices� a 
        <br>
        column by
        <a href="http://www.pastforward.ca">Past Forward�s</a>
own <a href="http://pastforward.ca/whois.htm#personnel">Doug Mackey</a></p>
        <p align="center"><b><font color="#FF0000">NEW BOOK</font><br>
        <a href="../../publications/pf07/Voicesfromthepast.htm">Voices From The 
        Past: Heritage <i>Perspectives</i> 1 </a><br>
        A book of columns by Doug Mackey</b></p>
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<td VALIGN=TOP width="326">June 25, 2010<h2>Lighthouse Closings Coming </h2>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The federal government has recently put close to 1000 
lighthouses on the auction block as surplus real estate. Some are inactive with 
long standing staff let go in a �de-staffing� exercise over the years. Some are 
still active and staff will be let go. It should be stated that some of the 
destaffed ones have been automated and some replaced by steel towers or poles 
equipped with the latest equipment. <br>
<br>
Some of the lighthouses were or are in bad shape and some were demolished and 
others taken over by interested parties. Some museums have incorporated them 
into their heritage programs and in some cases communities have developed them 
as tourist attractions with tours and a giftshop. Some have been taken over by 
preservation societies and showcased. Some sites were environmentally sensitive 
and have been umbrellaed by bird watchers and the like. And lastly some have 
been bought by private individuals and made into family recreational properties. 
Most are isolated and not feasible as permanent homes. </p>

<h3>Port Colborne Lighthouse </h3>

<p class="MsoNormal">I have written about the Welland Canal and the St. Lawrence 
Seaway in my column here. Port Colborne is on the south end of the Welland 
Canal. My father worked at a government elevator there and other relatives 
worked on various aspects of the canal over the years. </p>

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    <img border="0" src="lighthouse%20002Bweb.jpg" width="400" height="397"></td>
    <td width="50%" valign="top">Port Colborne breakwater and lighthouse. D. 
    Mackey photo </td>
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<p class="MsoNormal">As a teenager in the late 1940s I got a summer job at the 
Port Colborne lighthouse a mile out in Lake Erie on a breakwater protecting the 
Port Colborne Bay. I worked the nightshift while the lightkeeper slept. It was a 
fascinating and responsible job. My job was to look for fog and alert the 
lightkeeper so he could put the foghorn on etc.I read many books. I was a track 
middle distance runner and ran the mile long breakwater several times each day 
to keep in shape. I also had a girlfriend who I visited on my day off each 
Sunday. I would motor across and she would meet me on her bicycle. We are still 
together. My mother was angry because she hardly saw her son all summer. The 
cupola and a full display on the Port Colborne Lighthouse can be seen at the 
Port Colborne Marine Museum. (to see a photo checkout
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.lighthouse.nerd.com/gallery">
www.lighthouse.nerd.com/gallery</a> ). See my photo of the Port Colborne 
breakwater, lighthouse and ship. <br>
<br>
An article �Landmark lighthouse is up for grabs� talks about the anger in 
several Niagara Peninsula communities with light houses ,including Port 
Colborne.(<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.portcolborne.com">www.portcolborne.com</a>). 
There have been other stories including one June 12 in the Globe &amp; Mail. The 
story tells about lightkeeper Ms. Dickman who was interviewed in her 
lighthouses� cupola overlooking the eastern entrance to the Straight of Juan de 
Fuca in B.C. Her son was also interviewed. They talked about the iconic and 
romantic nature of lighthouses in Canadian and maritime history. <br>
<br>
The same Globe &amp; Mail edition talked about one of the typical old time 
lightkeepers George Davies who became a lightkeeper in 1859 and lived a 
fascinating life and many did. </p>

<h3>Callander</h3>

<p class="MsoNormal">Looking for lighthouse information locally I called 
historian Don Clysdale in Callander who is writing a book for Callander�s 125^th 
next year. Besset J. VandenHazel�s book From Dugout to Diesel shows a photo of 
Steven Wessel in 1910. His job was lighting a light on shore near his home each 
night to help the local traffic. </p>

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    <td><img border="0" src="Callander%20Lighthouse%20-%20oldweb.jpg" width="400" height="395"></td>
    <td valign="top">Callander lighthouse at the narrows at the entrance to Callander 
    Bay.Zelda McLellan photo.</td>
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<p class="MsoNormal">There is also a photo of the lighthouse on the south shore 
of Lake Nipissing at the Narrows at the entrance to Callander Bay. Don Clysdale 
provided a photo of the lighthouse with some of the operators family. <br>
<br>
I inquired about the lighthouse near the Callander dock and was told that it was 
not an official lighthouse even though it looked like one. It was built by a 
group of men who owned the little island and built it as a place to retreat for 
rest and recreation. It washed away in the tornado in July 2006 . </p>

<h3>Preservation </h3>

<p class="MsoNormal">There are numerous preservation societies including for 
example the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Society founded in 1994 (<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.nslps.com">www.nslps.com</a> 
) which shows the type of work being done to preserve these important artifacts. 
There is also the Lighthouse Digest which looks at all aspects of lighthouse 
life. (<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.lighthousedepot.com">www.lighthousedepot.com</a>) 
For a sample of some excellent work check out the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keeper 
Association (<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.gllka.com">www.gllka.com</a>)
<br>
<br>
Lighthouses are an important part of our heritage that we need to keep in 
appropriate perspective. <br>
&nbsp;</p>

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