Lighthouse keeper number three, William Bevis, stayed for 18 years. The colourful cast iron spiral staircase in the tower was made in sections in San Francisco. He also brought along the Fresnel lens, lamp apparatus and glass-covered lantern room that would house the lamp and the lens. the cistern) was also covered by the government. He was hired for $650.00 per year, and the cost of housing (the dwelling attached to the tower), coal (for the fireplaces), and water (i.e.
George Davies, the first lighthouse keeper, arrived from England with his wife, two children and an assistant in August 1860. This “gentleman” would also be able to train other lighthouse keepers.
Bevis, 1861–1879 (Died on station, 1879)Ī stipulation of the agreement to build the lighthouse was that its first keeper should be brought out from England, and had experience in light keeping, maintenance and repair. Putting this British lighthouse here underlined the fact that this was British territory and they were not going to permit it to be annexed to the United State of America.īetween 18, 12 people (including one woman) served as keepers at Fisgard Lighthouse: Given that as recently as 1844, American politicians were campaigning to extend their territorial control as far as parallel 54☄0′ north (past Prince Rupert!), this influx was alarming as it threatened to upset Britain’s dominance of the region’s. Only a couple of years before the lighthouse was built in 1860, there was a huge influx of American miners into both the Victoria area and the Fraser Valley for the Fraser Valley gold rush. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Fisgard Lighthouse was a ‘life saver’ for the many local and foreign cargo and passenger ships that travelled the unforgiving seas of the Juan de Fuca Straight-especially on foggy or stormy nights! The lighthouse was also what allowed the Royal Navy to operate at nighttime safely from Esquimalt Harbour, getting their ships in and out without running up onto the rocks.Īdditionally, it was really an expression of British sovereignty.
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