Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse

The 3rd Pointe-Au-Père Lighthouse was built in 1909 in the city of Pointe-au-Père, near Rimouski, Quebec, Canada. This city was well known in naval circles as the location of the pilot station for the Bas-Saint-Laurent (lower St. Lawrence) zone. Pointe-au-Père has since been amalgamated into the larger city of Rimouski (2002).

LocationRimouski
Quebec
Canada

Coordinates48°31′03″N 68°28′07″W

Constructed1859 (first)

Constructionconcrete tower

Quick facts Location, Coordinates ...

Pointe-au-Père

Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse
Location	Rimouski Quebec Canada
Coordinates	48°31′03″N 68°28′07″W
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)
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1974

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The first lighthouse on the site, a wooden octagonal tower, was built in 1859 to guide boats through the difficult St. 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 third lighthouse is 108 feet (33 m) tall, which makes it the second tallest in Canada.^[3] It is built in a characteristic shape, employing eight concrete buttresses to support a slender central cylinder. Ownership of the lighthouse was transferred to Parks 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 the Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père. The RMS Empress 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 a National Historic Site in 1974,^[4] and is considered a unit of the national park system. However, visitor services are provided by the non-profit Point-au-Père Maritime Historic Site.