LIGHTHOUSE HISTORY

Over 100 Years of Service...

Standing 20 metres high, above the rocky coastline of southwest Vancouver Island, Sheringham Point Lighthouse has served as a beacon of hope and salvation for more than 100 years.

Built in 1912, Sheringham Point Lighthouse, like so many other lighthouses around our coastal waters, has saved countless lives throughout its history. Staffed for much of its life, the lighthouse was later automated and now has a single green beacon. It has provided navigational aid, weather information, solace and safety for mariners and those who make their living from the sea

Its history is rich and touches many families in this area. It is a reminder of our deep connections to the land and the sea, and it has always been seen as a symbol of security for our community.

RECOGNITION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT…

Human interaction with this site began long before the Lighthouse was constructed, even before European settlement of the area, as it was of significance to the local First Nations. Archaeological evidence has been discovered at the site indicating the connections and the First Nations’ use of the site over time. The T’Sou-ke First Nation continues to have an active relationship with the site, especially the adjacent property to the West. The Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society respects and honours our mutual history, and is pleased to work with the T’Sou-ke Nation to ensure that traditions and stories can be maintained and celebrated.

We recognize and acknowledge that this land remains unceded traditional territory of the T’Sou-ke First Nation, as well as the Pacheedaht First Nation, whose traditional territories met at Sheringham Point.

Chronology...

DATE	ITEM/EVENT	DETAILS
Pre-history	First Nations Use of the Land	Specifics not known at this time, but archaeological sites identified on the foreshore.
1778	First European contact in British Columbia	In spring 1778, Captain James Cook became the first known European to set foot on what is now British Columbia.
1790	First maps of Southern Vancouver Island Coast	Manuel Quimper surveys and maps the area.
1800's	Growth of maritime activity in area	Fur trading, a booming lumber industry and a series of gold rushes through the 1800s resulted in hundreds of shipwrecks along the Southwestern Coast of Vancouver Island. Area became known as the "graveyard of the Pacific".
1843	First European settlement on Southern Vancouver Island	James Douglas establishes Fort Victoria in Lekwungen Territory on Southern Vancouver Island.
1846	Sheringham Point named.	During a survey aboard the H.M.S. Herald, Captain Henry Kellet named Sheringham Point in honor of Commander William Louis Sheringham of the Royal Navy.
Feb 26, 1862	Sinking of the bark "Anna Barnard"	En route from San Francisco to Sooke, the Anna Barnard struck rocks in thick fog and sank near Sheringham Point.
Jan 22, 1906	Sinking of the SS Valencia	En route from San Fransisco to Seattle, the Valencia got lost in poor weather and ran aground near Pachena Point, with a loss of 137 lives
Feb-April,1906	Commission of Inquiry into Valencia disaster	Both US and Canadian inquiries, recommending construction of additional lighthouses (including Sheringham Point).
July 30, 1910	Purchase of Lot 82	Edwin Clark purchases Lot 82 at Sheringham Point.
1911	Acquisition of land at Sheringham Point for Lighthouse.	Edwin Clark sells 4 acres of land at Sheringham Point to Government of Canada.
1912	Construction of Lighthouse.	Construction of Tower, boat house and lightkeeper's dwelling.
Sept 30, 1912	Lighthouse illuminated for first time.	Lit by first lightkeeper Eustace Arden. Oil lamp with 3rd Order Fresnel Lens.
Dec. 2, 1912	Grounding of County of Linlithgow	Vessel runs aground at Gordon's Beach due to mix-up with new Lighthouse.
1913	Request for road access	Arden requests road access to connect with West Coast Road.
1917	Supply ship SS Quadra sinks	Quadra hits another vessel in Nanaimo Harbour and sinks. Replaced by SS Estevan.
May 1, 1925	Approval given for building of road access	Easement through Edwin Clark's land.
1925	Diaphone foghorn installed at site.	Included construction of fog-alarm building
1931	Road access to site completed.	Much of the work finally done by Arden and his sons.
1941	Additional 1.8 acres added to site.	Land added to the west of current site.
1941	Watch station and bunker added to site	Included barracks for a small group of signalmen stationed at the site.
1946	Eustace Arden retires as lightkeeper	Served for 34 years at Sheringham Point.
1946	Thomas Cross appointed as interim lightkeeper	Served in the position for 4 months.
1946 - 1948	Alfred Dickenson appointed as lightkeeper.	Dickenson served at 2 other lightstations prior to Sheringham Point.
1948	Thomas Westhead appointed lightkeeper.	Westhead served at 3 other lightstations prior to Sheringham Point.
1954	Final land addition to Sheringham Point site.	2.5 additional acres purchased from Edwin Clark, to join together the previous two parcels.
1959	Fred Mountain appointed as lightkeeper.	Mountain served at 3 other lightstations prior to Sheringham Point
November 25,1967	Fred Mountain dies while working at the Lighthouse site.	His cause of death is, at the moment, unspecified.
1967	Jim Bruton appointed as lightkeeper.	Bruton had previously served at 3 other lightstations.
1976	Fresnel Lens replaced with Crouse-Hinds DCB36 lens	New lens rotated electronically, allowing also for removal of mercury pan.
1976	Original fog-alarm building replaced with concrete block building (engine room).	Built inside of previous (wooden) building, and then previous structure removed.
1980	Original Fresnel Lens and Fog-horn donated to Sooke Museum	Included lens, foghorn, engine, compressor, tank and pressure gauge.
1987	Jim Bruton retires as head lightkeeper.	Family leaves site in 1987, although Bruton still "officially" on the payroll for about another year (accumulated vacation time).
1987	Kurt Cehak appointed lightkeeper, and moves on site with his wife Erika.	Cehak was previously stationed at Race Rocks and Entrance Island. Officially retired in 1985, but stayed on as a "relief" keeper.
1987 (estimated)	Lighthouse tower receives extensive exterior restoration.	Date uncertain at this time. Estimated (late 1980s).
1988	Erika Cehak, officially appointed as head lightkeeper.	Due to administrative issues relating to Kurt's retired status, Erika was official named as lightkeeper.
1988	Sheringham Point Lighthouse "automated".	Formally automated on June 24, 1988.
1989	Sheringham Point Lighthouse "de-staffed", and Cehaks leave the site.	De-staffing occurred in late 1989, Cehaks left at beginning of 1990.
1990	Site secured and closed to public access.	As the site was, essentially, vacant, unauthorized access became quite commonplace.
1997	Vacant buildings burned down as a safety precaution.	Included lightkeepers dwelling, storage shed, garage and fallout shelter.
2000	Bill S-21, to protect Canadian Lighthouses first introduced in Canadian Senate.	Introduced by Sen. Mike Forrestall of Nova Scotia, with support of Sen. Pat Carney of BC.
2003	Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society founded to "preserve and protect the lighthouse".	Founded under the Society Act of British Columbia as a not-for-profit society and, soon after, designated as a Canadian Charity.
2004	Lands surrounding Sheringham Point purchased for development.	Fears that the property may be sold for development purposes.
2004	Society works to limit adjacent development and secures buffers around lighthouse site.	Included covenant enabling access to the site, and dedication of lands to create a loop trail.