History of the Point Atkinson Lighthouse

The Point Atkinson Lighthouse as photographed in 2011.  There was still a caretaker there at the time.

I have been going back through my old files, and I found a photo of the above lighthouse I took almost 15 years ago.  I keep all my old files that came straight from the camera.  This image was shot as a raw file and I opened it with my modern 2026 edition of Photoshop.  Digital imaging has come a long way since then.

Originally built out of wood in 1875, a lighthouse has stood guard at the entrance of Burrard Inlet.  The wooden structure was replaced with a concrete one in 1912 and stands today as it did 114 years ago.  The original lighthouse was built as part of the agreement to bring British Columbia into federation.  It's interesting to think of Canada as it was back then.

The lighthouse has had someone living there from its inception until 2020, when it underwent full automation.  The lands around the lighthouse have been saved as a park; Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver boasts untouched forests with trails.  I have been to both the lighthouse and the park and have to say the views are spectacular.  Although the place is a significant distance from many places in the Lower Mainland, a trip there is well worth the time.

Below is a photograph of my daughter, Leanne, when the both of us visited the park in 2013.

Leanne on the shores of Lighthouse Park, 2013.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com


 

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