Colchester Reef Light, Maritime navigation tower in Essex, Ontario, Canada
Colchester Reef Light is a navigation beacon on Lake Erie featuring a white steel skeletal tower topped with a helicopter landing platform. The structure contains four separate floors connected by internal staircases, with the uppermost level providing access to the automated lighting system.
The lighthouse was built in 1885 under Colonel William P. Anderson's direction and replaced an earlier lightvessel serving the same navigation point. Anderson was an influential engineer who shaped the design and placement of over 500 navigation structures across the region.
The lighthouse represents maritime heritage on Lake Erie and recalls the importance of navigation aids for ships traveling this vital waterway. It embodies an era when such structures required lighthouse keepers to live at remote postings.
The lighthouse sits on open water and is best viewed from boats, especially on clear days when the white structure stands out clearly against the sky. Access is primarily for maintenance and inspection purposes, so public visits are typically not possible.
The lighthouse attracts large numbers of cormorants and gulls that gather on the helicopter landing platform. A sophisticated deterrent system was installed to prevent these birds from damaging the structure.
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