Race Rocks Light is one of the first two

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

s that were built on the west coast of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, 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 is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia (BC), Canada. It is about east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, to which it is linked by a 20-minute ferry service. It has a land area of about and a resi ...

. The Islands of Race Rocks are located just off the southern tip of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

, about southwest of

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

History

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 His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

. It was illuminated on 26 December 1860, six weeks after the smaller Fisgard Island lighthouse built at the entrance to

Esquimalt Harbour Esquimalt Harbour is a natural harbour in Greater Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The entrance to Esquimalt Harbour is from the south off the Strait of Juan de Fuca through a narrow channel known as ...

near Victoria. In 2010, both lighthouses celebrated their

sesquicentennial An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded. Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days. These could be the date of independence of the nation or the adoption o ...

. Se
A complete history
of the Light Station and Ecological Reserve. It has a 24.4 m (80 feet) cylindrical tower with black and white bands, and flashes a white light every 10 seconds. It
foghorn
sounds three blasts at one-minute intervals. 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 Ecological Reserve. Restoration of the interior and exterior of the historic light tower was carried out in 2009.

Oceanographic research

The Race Rocks Light is one of 12 lighthouses part of the

British Columbia Shore Station Oceanographic Program The British Columbia Shore Station Oceanographic Program is a sea surface temperature and salinity monitoring program on the Canadian coast of the northeast Pacific Ocean. The program is administered by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and regroups 12 ...

, collecting coastal water temperature and salinity measurements everyday since 1921.

Keepers

* George Nicholas Davies (1861 – 1866) * Thomas Argyle (1866 -1888, retired) * Albert Argyle (1888- 1889) * W.P. Daykin (Dec. 6 1889 – Jan 1891 transferred to Carmanah) * Frederick Mercer Eastwood (Jan 31 1891 – 1919) * James Thomas Forsyth (1919 –1932) * Henry I. McKenzie (1932 –1933) * Andrew Ritchie (1933 – 1940) * Thomas Westhead (1940 – 1948) * Arthur Anderson (1948 – 1950) * Percival C. Pike (1950 – 1952) * Gordon Odlum (1952 – 1961) * Charles Clark (1961) * Ben Rogers (1961 – 1964) * J. Alan Tully (1964 – 1966) * Trevor M. Anderson (1966 – 1982) * Charles Redhead(1982 – 1989) * Mike E. Slater (1989 – 1997)Race Rocks Light
Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved April 28, 2016

Notes

References

External links