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Big Tignish, PE |
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Description:
Tignish Harbor is formed by the mouth of the Big Tignish River where it enters the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the northwest shore of Prince Edward Island. In 1868, the Government of Prince Edward Island commenced construction of piers on each side of the mouth of the river to contract the outflow to a width of 12.2 metres (40 feet). This restriction provided enough current at ebb tide to keep the mouth of the river open. Prior to this project, gales from the east would stir up sand from the surrounding beaches and obstruct the entrance to the river.
Not long after the piers were constructed, two fixed beacons hoisted atop masts were used to guide vessels into the harbor, but after just a year of operation, the beacons were destroyed on October 29, 1878. Big Tignish or Jude's Point Lighthouse was designed by the Department of Marine, built by Henry Williams in 1880 at a contract price of $545 and put into operation in the spring of 1881, replacing a temporary set of range lights. The lighthouse was originally situated on the beach at the inner end of the north breakwater pier. On September 15, 1883, a second light was established atop a pole at the outer end of the north pier to mark the location of the pierhead and, when aligned with the inner light, to guide vessels into the harbour. The square, tapered, wooden lighthouse stands 8.2 metres (26.9 feet) tall from base to vane. The gallery is mounted on iron brackets which is not uncommon on range lights. The shingled lighthouse has no attached dwellings and only minor changes have been made to the tower over the many years it was in operation. Originally, it had one broad black band around the middle, but this was later removed. Big Tignish Lighthouse was operated by oil until electricity came to Tignish in 1954. The construction of this lighthouse helped in the development of the local fishing industry. This lighthouse actually served as a rear range light until 1989, when it was converted to a coastal Lighthouse. The light was decommissioned in 1997. References
Location: Located at the end of Judes Point Road (Founders Lane) in Tignish Shore. Latitude: 46.95107 Longitude: -63.99377 For a larger map of Big Tignish Lighthouse, click the lighthouse in the above map or get a map from: Mapquest. Travel Instructions: Take Highway 2 to its end at Tignish, near the northwest tip of the island. When Highway 2 ends in Tignish, turn left onto Church Street (Route 14), and then make an immediate right onto Dalton Avenue. When Dalton Avenue ends, turn right onto Route 12, and then make your first left onto Judes Point Road. As you near the harbour, veer left onto Founders lane to reach the entrance to the marina where you will find the Big Tignish Lighthouse. The lighthouse is owned by the Canadian Coast Guard. Grounds open, tower closed. Find the closest hotels to Big Tignish Lighthouse See our List of Lighthouses in Prince Edward Island Canada |
