In 1876, Vital Arseneaux built two towers under a control for $475 to guide vessels through South Tracadie Gully. These range lights commenced operation at the opening of navigation in 1877, with the front light being fixed white and the rear light fixed red. The front tower was an open-frame structure, standing 6.1 metres tall, while the rear tower was an enclosed, square tower with a height of 7.9 metres. The towers were painted to match the color of the lights they displayed. Joseph Forbes was appointed the first keeper of the range lights at an annual salary of $150.

In 1879, a heavy gale washed away the front range tower and an oil shed from their foundations. In 1896, the channel shifted ninety-one metres to the south, and the range lights, located on the north side of the gully, could not be positioned to indicate the channel so the front light was discontinued, leaving the rear light to serve as a coastal light. A lens was installed in the rear tower in 1911 in place of the reflectors formerly used, and by 1916 the red tower had received a horizontal white band.

South Tracadie Light was discontinued around September 1, 1920, but it was placed back in operation in 1922. The tower last appeared in the List of Lights in 1958. In 2020, a light was being shown from a mast on the end of the south breakwater at South Tracadie Gully.

Keepers: Joseph Forbes (1878 – 1897), William G. Ferguson (1897 – 1913), William Godin (1913 – 1920), F.H. McLaughliln (1922 – at least 1923).

References

1. Annual Report of the Department of Marine and Fisheries, various years.

A mast light marks South Tracadie Gully today.

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