Pilot Bay Lighthouse is a little tower on Kootenay Lake, British Columbia, Canada. It’s around 700 miles from the coastline, which may seem a peculiar location for a lighthouse. It’s also 1,976 feet above sea level and 238 feet above the lake. There is a method in the madness, however, as this positioning helped boats navigate the area known as ‘the outlet’, where the lake’s south, north and west arms meet.
How did the lighthouse come to be?
Prior to the lighthouse being built, there were many shipwrecks in the area, the most notable being the SS Ainsworth on November 29, 1898. At the time, it was the worst Canadian maritime disaster to date, with nine people losing their lives1.
D.C. MacGregor built the lighthouse less than a decade after this tragedy for $800 and lit it on January 1, 19052.
The Most Popular Man in Pilot Bay: Eugene Montreuil
Eugene was Pilot Bay’s lighthouse keeper from the 17th of October, 1907, and over time, became a huge part of the local community (in more ways than one).
The lighthouse wasn’t equipped for human habitation, so Eugene lived nearby in his cabin. He was well-known for conscientiously looking after the lighthouse at night, regularly camping out next to the stove and watching over the light in poor weather conditions. In his free time, he built boats!
In 1896, Pilot Bay had around 300 inhabitants, but by 1907, this had reduced to less than half a dozen. Despite this, Montreuil remained a constant in the local community, and by the 1910s, he was the only resident left. In fact, he only left the area after a fire sadly destroyed his cabin3.
Eugene’s time as Pilot Bay’s lighthouse keeper came to an end when the following declaration was made:
Pilot Bay will have a white acetylene light instead of a white fixed oil lamp and will be unwatched.
Department of Marine and Fisheries, Dominion of Canada
After it was no longer necessary for him to man the lighthouse due to modernisation, he used his boats to ferry people who lived around Kootenay Lake. He would escort women in labour to hospitals and deliver medical prescriptions to different members of the community. Eugene was known for being happy to help, making him a very well-liked and respected community member.
Topsy + Honey, the Renovation Duo
Over the years, the lighthouse fell into disrepair. Post the 1960s, minimal maintenance, vandalism, and hunters accidentally shooting the windows meant that renovations were in order.
In 1967, these renovations began to breathe life back into the lighthouse. However, the workers needed a horse to carry equipment and materials to the lighthouse. The trail to the lighthouse was not suitable for heavy-duty vehicles, being far away from any main roads and only accessible through trails.
Nearby, the recently widowed Topsy lived with her horse Honey. The foreman from the lighthouse renovation team approached Topsy and asked if she would lend Honey to the cause. When told that Honey wouldn’t work for anyone else, the foreman responded that they had a man in their workforce who was fantastic with horses, so it wouldn’t be an issue.
An hour later, he returned to Topsy, stating, ‘This horse won’t work.’ Consequently, both Topsy and Honey joined the small workforce, becoming important members of the team.
After the renovations were completed, the invoices for the workers were sent back to headquarters to be paid. Questions were then raised, asking why a woman’s name was on the invoice. The foreman then responded with the following:
Honey arrived on the job… wasn’t having any of it.
Foreman’s response to boss in Nelson. November 1967.
So I went and dug Honey’s boss out who’s name was Topsy. She got out in front and said “Come on Honey”. Up the hill went Honey and that is how I came to have one old widow on the payroll.
…Wage agreement of $2.30 per hr. for Topsy and $1.30 per hr. for Honey… Please dispatch check with utmost speed as Honey needs hay.
A final few words
Lighthouses were built to ensure safety for those out in the water. Their tales are intrinsically linked to the people who gave their time and energy to keep them lit. They often tell tales of great sacrifice and a commitment to protecting others within the community. Pilot Bay lighthouse was turned off in 1993, but its legacy in Kootenay Lake remains.
After being switched off, the Federal Government planned to tear down the lighthouse. The Riondel Historical Society, the Kootenay Lake Environmental Education Centre Society (“KLEECS”), and the Friends of West Kootenay Parks Society (“Friends”) convinced British Columbia Parks that they would be able to maintain the building if BC Parks took over ownership. The lighthouse is still in their care and open to visitors.
Sources & Additional Reading
- Historicplaces.ca. (2024). HistoricPlaces.ca [online] Available at: https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=19310 [Accessed 13 Oct. 2024]. ↩︎
- Deputy Minister of Fisheries (1907). Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada. ↩︎
- Hulland, S. and Friends (1997). The History of Pilot Bay Lighthouse on Kootenay Lake. [Nelson, B.C.] : Friends of West Kootenay Parks. ↩︎
- Hulland, S. and Friends (1997). The History of Pilot Bay Lighthouse on Kootenay Lake. [Nelson, B.C.] : Friends of West Kootenay Parks. ↩︎
Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism. (2024). Pilot Bay Lighthouse. [online] Available at: https://www.nelsonkootenaylake.com/listing/pilot-bay-lighthouse [Accessed 13 Oct. 2024].
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