A misty evening at Dryad Point Lighthouse
The evening mist and dense fog is rolling in on Campbell Island in British Columbia. The light at the tip of the island, called Dryad Point Lighthouse, functions as it has every night since November 7, 1899. Captain Carpenter was the keeper of the lighthouse and remained its keeper until 1930.
In the beginning this light house housed only a simple white light. It was in the early nineteen hundreds that a red light was added.This helped to solve the problem of getting around the point. The white light alone just glared too much to be safe in all situations. A couple years before this, a second adaption was made. At this time a hand held fog horn was added. This enabled the lighthouse to answer the fog horns of vessels who were attempting to round the point in deep dense fog.
The original lighthouse on Dryad Point had a very humble beginning. It was a basic white wood building, just 36 feet above the water level at high tide. This served as a safety net until 1919, when the current concrete structure was built. The current lighthouse is built of reinforced concrete and stands 25 feet tall.
The year 1930 brought even more changes for this emerging lighthouse. A new facility was built for the living quarters of the keeper and a new boat house. In 1932 a small fog horn facility was built. This replaced the old hand held fog horn that had been in use since 1901. In 1997, a new fog horn system was received. At the same time a prefabricated aluminum building with solar panels on the top was errected. By the year 1998, Dryad Point Lighthouse had become completely automated. The days of the old lighthouse keepers were now in the history books. The new keepers had larger living quarters and facilities. Added to all this was a keepers greatest tool of the new age of lighthouses. Dryad Point Lighthouse was now automated. The age of automation had arrived at the lighthouse. It was a new season, with new beginnings, and new keepers.
This beautiful red and white lighthouse is very often the subject of photographs from tourists traveling the spectacular Inside Passage to Alaska. Dryad Point Lighthouse is quite easily seen from passing cruise ships on their way up this spectacular passage. This is one of several lighthouses scheduled to be completely automated in the near future. The lighthouse will still serve the ships that can not find their way in the fog, but no keeper will be needed. It is a beautiful reminder of a glorious history, and a current light in the dense foggy darkness.
A voyage up the Inside Passage is the perfect family getaway. You will see small coastal towns that are only seen from cruise ships. The tall mountains with their glaciers will loom into view, and the awesome diversity of wildlife will entertain you. Relax and enjoy the adventure of a lifetime, as you travel through waters fed by glaciers. You will watch as the wildlife romp and play in their native environment. This is just the beginning of what will be a great adventure.
Enjoy the views of beautiful lighthouses that will line your way up the passage. Dryad Point Lighthouse is just one of several that will guide you up the passage safely. Beauty is around every corner.
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