Port Dalhousie Range Rear Lighthouse — Attraction in St. Catharines

5 a.m. on Aug. 12, 1898, the lighthouse was struck by lightning, caught fire and burned to the ground. The lightning struck the centre of the tower, smashing the large revolving lamp, igniting the oil and saturating the wooden structure. Capt. David Hunter, the lighthouse keeper, had just gone home for breakfast and escaped injury.

When the fire was burning fiercely, the steamer Lakeside passed out of the harbour and paused for a moment to try and quench the flames. However, Capt. Wigle thought of the immense quantity of oil stored in the structure and considered it advisable, for the safety of his passengers, to continue on his course. Several tugs in the harbour also allowed the fire to proceed, fearing an explosion of the oil tank. Fortunately, there was no explosion, since the tank was split open by the lightning, and so the oil burned until it was consumed.

The Department of Marine and Fisheries began construction of the present lighthouse in October 1898. The lighthouse was automated in 1968 and in 1988 it was decommissioned by Transport Canada at the close of the boating season. Ownership of the lighthouse was transferred to the City of St. Catharines in 1997 and the lighthouse was designated a historical building under the Ontario Heritage Act. The Friends of the Port Dalhousie Lighthouse restored the structure...

Port Dalhousie was the Lake Ontario terminal for the Welland Canal from its inception in 1829 until 1932, when the canal's entrance was relocated to Port Weller, some four kilometers to the east.

A fixed red light was shown from the lighthouse's framework until the tower, which cost $2,943.19, was constructed and operational. On June 1, 1902, the range lights were electrified, and the inner light's color changed from fixed red to occulting white.

The discontinued inner lighthouse was designated a Recognized Federal Heritage Building in 1990, and in 1997 it was transferred to the City of St. Catharines. The lighthouse was restored between 2000 and 2002.

Note the "beaver" weathervane atop the lighthouse. Also, it is one of just six wooden octagonal lighthouses remaining on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes. The others are Port Burwell on Lake Erie, Western Islands and Lonely Island on Lake Huron, and Slate Islands and Otter Island on...

During Easter weekend, April 2025, the family and I made our first quest to St Catharine's.

After a 2-hour+ drive, we arrived on the Good Friday, taking time to wander around the Port Dalhousie (pronounced "Dal-oo-see", not "Dal-how-see", by the way) before checking into our motel.

We were part of a modest crowd who walked along both the West and East Piers. The small number of visitors could, at least in part, be explained by the vast amounts of midges who swarmed piers, pets, and people alike with their clouds of Spring mating madness.

Although the piers are technically accessible, it would be brilliant to provide more seating options for those visiting. Particularly, it would help those who rely on mobility aids – such as walkers/canes – the opportunity to rest walking between the Rear and Front...