Monday, April 27, 2009

Grand Manan follows me across the country




I had to spend 10 days in Calgary recently under less than ideal circumstances. As I was going through some old calendars as part of papers I was sorting, I found a photo of Fish Fluke Point light house, also known as Grand Harbour light house. This building has been abandoned since the early 1960s and still refuses to fall down, although one wonders how long it can remain standing. At one point it was designated as Canada's most endangered light house but still continues to collapse. When you think of how many images could make it on a calendar, it becomes obvious that Grand Manan is a special place in Canada and I certainly had a rush of nostalgia.
The old boat house from this light house was moved in the 1960s to Swallowtail and now sits at the top of the hill. Most people now think the building is a garage, which essentially is what it was used as by the former light keeper Grimmer Ingersoll, who with his brother, towed the boat house to its present location.

I always find it sad to see our "built" history disappear. Soon the only reminder of this light house will be photographs. Hopefully, the Swallowtail light station will be a better example of a community that is trying to preserve some of its history beyond the occasional photograph.

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