Crane Island (unpublished.duplicate)

Crane Island is downstream from Quebec City and Île d’Orléans and situated on the most prominent point of a shoal that dried at low water, on the southeast side of the island, two-and-a-half kilometres from the western tip of the island.

The lighthouse was constructed with 5 other lighthouses to help navigation along the St. Lawrence River below Quebec City at Brandy Pots, Long Pilgrim Island, Grande Isle de Kamouraska, Bellechasse Island, and Crane Island. Louis Dery, a builder from Quebec, was awarded a contract to construct the lighthouses commissioned by the Parliament of the Province of Quebec.

The very first lighthouse on the island was constructed on the first of September 1861, following approval of its location by the chief engineer of public works and a river pilot. A relationship with industrial England is highlighted in its construction through the purchase of lantern rooms and lighting apparatuses from there. The result of the works was a pier atop the shoal with a thirty-two feet tall wooden octagonal tower and five lamps, set in parabolic reflectors, to illuminate 225° of the horizon. The light had a focal plane of forty-eight feet.

This lighthouse was discontinued and a new wooden octagonal lighthouse with a pier and dwelling were built on June 1st 1885. The work was completed by Miville Deschenes who received $1,795. This lighthouse stood on a cribwork block that elevated it six feet above the pier and now a light with a focal plane of forty-seven feet above high-water mark was achieved 120 feet nearer the shipping channel than the old light. The new keeper’s dwelling was on the nearby shore.

Other improvements have been made to this new lighthouse’s light. In 1890 the light changed from fixed white to occulting white, where a screen that revolved around a sixth-order lens obscured the light for four seconds each minute. Later, in 1900, new springs were bought from the Chance Bros, who made the clockwork apparatus that revolved the screen, to fix the flashing apparatus. In 1905, a fourth-order lens from Chance Bros. was placed in the lantern room with an occulting screen operated by spring clockwork to improve the light. The characteristic of the new light was ten seconds of light followed by five seconds of eclipse. Additionally, the illuminant was changed from oil to petroleum vapour.

Much work has been done to the buildings. In 1895 men from Quebec levelled the lighthouse upon its foundations and repaired six rooms in the welling for $260. Later in 1898, workmen repaired the ice damaged pier for $416.86.

On June 3, 1905, a timber 50 ft sq, 13 ft high cribwork foundation was sunk two kilometres northwest on the west side of Beaujeu Channel. The foundation was surmounted by a concrete square beacon reinforced by steel. The beacon had sloping sides and was surrounded a cylindrical steel gasholder, painted red, that protruded out of it. A red, pyramidal steel frame carried a lantern surmounted the gasholder known as the Beaujeu Bank light was put in use on October 24th 1905. It had a focal plane of 27 feet above the high-water mark. This was made by Messrs. Griffin & Desnoyers of Quebec for $25,000. It served to be aligned with Crane Island Lighthouse to indicate the deep water channel from the lower end of Goose Island Reef to the turn at Beaujeu Bank gas buoy.

The first keeper of this lighthouse was Joseph Painchaud from 1861 through 1903. He and his family used the tower as their living space until 1872, when a small adjoining building was built. Desire Vezina took over as keeper in 1904 and served through at least 1937.

A new lighthouse started to be built in 1907 and made operational in 1908. This was a five-section, steel, square, ninety feet tall skeletal tower with sloping sides surmounted by a wooden watchroom and octagonal iron lantern room. It was supported by concrete pillars extended through the pier to serve as a foundation. The tower was purchased from Goold, Shapley &, Muir Company, of Brantford, Ontario for $1,184, and the works were completed $4,385. The old tower was cut down to one story and capped by a pyramidal to be used as a series of new telephone stations along the shipping channel. However, the lighthouse was standing through at least 1955.

A final lighthouse tower was erected in 2021. It is square, skeletal tower was being used on the wharf at Crane Island to display a flashing green light.