June 29, 2024

It was the spring of 1848 when Captain Alexander M MacGregor took shelter at the mouth of the Penetangor River in his schooner named The Fly. It wasn’t a very sheltered spot but it soon became settled and the population grew. A thriving fishing industry developed and soon local salt was being shipped out of the harbour as well. A pier was built and in 1874 a square lighthouse was constructed on the end of it. The image below is taken from online and shows the original lighthouse on the pier. I spent two nights in Kincardine while doing some work in Tiverton and had the chance to explore the harbour area after enjoying a nice meal at The Bruce.

In 1880 a new lighthouse was built into the embankment a little further inland. A two-storey home was built as a base and this is where the lighthouse keeper lived. The octagonal tower that rose above the base stands 24.4 metres (74 feet) tall.

The job of the lighthouse keeper was to ensure that the lantern was kept lit. He had to climb up the 69 steps carrying kerosene and wind the mechanism to keep it running. In 1910 a twelve sided, Fourth Order Fresnel lense was installed which was visible for 30 kilometres. Then, in 1922 the kerosene lantern and foghorn were replaced with electric power. This made the job of the lighthouse keeper much easier. Finally, it was automated in 1970. Today the lighthouse serves as a marine museum.

The salt industry in Kincardine was a significant in the late 18th century and a driving force for the building of the lighthouse. The image below from the Bruce County Museum shows Rightmeyer’s Salt Block on the left with the lighthouse showing in the background. Levi Rightmeyer built his salt industry in 1871 and it was the third in the community. He evaporated brine to make salt which he sold to pork packing industries in Chicago and Milwaukee. The salt blocks slowly closed with Rightmeyer’s being the last one. It closed around 1900 and the buildings were later destroyed by fire. The site is now home to the tennis courts and children’s playground.

As the fishing and salt industries declined the harbour shifted from industry to recreation and is now used as a marina for personal pleasure craft. There are slips for 150 boats in the marina.

The piers in Kincardine are over 150 years old and have recently undergone restoration. The south pier is used for swimming from with people jumping in the water as I was walking around taking pictures for this post.

Some people will be asking themselves what Kincardine has to do with the GTA. Well, the trail that runs along the shore of Lake Huron is part of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and you can walk here from Toronto. The trail is over 3600 kilometres long and runs along four Great Lakes. It connects 170 communities, villages and First Nations and passes through 520 waterfront parks. One of which is in Kincardine. As you can see from the trail map below, it would take quite some time to complete the walk from Toronto to Kincardine.

The trail along the waterfront has been planted with many gardens and flowers. There’s an extensive area of milkweed which was attracting many Monarch Butterflies. They were a little shy and wouldn’t sit still to get their picture taken.

The boardwalk has been engraved with many names, some of whom are listed in memory of those who have passed before us.

There are sandy beaches on both sides of the marina but I was only able to explore the north beach because it rained on the second night of my visit. The south beach has historic plaques and attractions which will have to wait for another visit.

Kincardine has an extensive and growing network of trails. After visiting the lighthouse, marina and northern beach I took the trail that follows the river and ended up at Queens Lookout Park on Queen Street.

For those wishing to explore Kincardine there are many historic buildings and museums to visit. There is also a set of trail maps that can be found at www.kincardinetrails.net

Google Maps link: Kincardine Lighthouse

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