Discovery Island Light, Maritime lighthouse on Discovery Island, Canada
Discovery Island Light is a white cylindrical tower on Pandora Hill in British Columbia featuring a red lantern room and observation balcony for maritime communication. The structure stands 11 meters tall and aids navigation in the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
A wooden pyramidal tower with a keeper's two-storey house was built in 1885 and lit in 1886 to mark the entrance to Haro Strait from Juan de Fuca Strait. A steam foghorn was added in 1889 and a fourth-order Chance Brothers lens in 1906. A cylindrical tower replaced the 1958 second lighthouse in 1970, and the station was automated in 1996 after 110 years of being manned.
The lighthouse served as a home and workplace for keepers and their families who lived in isolation on the island. These residents shaped the character of the place through their long presence.
The location on a remote island makes visits challenging and requires boat travel from nearby ports. Visitors should prepare for variable weather and limited accessibility to the site.
Mary Ann Croft, who had assisted her father Richard Brinn since the station opened, was appointed keeper in 1902 after his death, becoming Canada's first female lighthouse keeper. She retired in 1932 with a pension of $43 a month, having lived on the island for 46 years in total.
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