Pointe
Aux Pins Range Lights A set of typical wooden Canadian range lights that are painted white with a red vertical stripe. This set of markers guides up bound vessels in the St. Marys River above the Soo Locks. The lights are just before a bend in the river were the channel bends around Point Louise, a location that should be familiar to scanner monitors around the Soo. The present rear light is a modern skeletal steel tower on a small island. The former rear light is a square tower attached to a building that has been relocated to private property. The front light is a small pyramidal structure. Both have red roofs and ventilator balls. The former keeper's dwelling was burned down by the Canadian Coast Guard around 1975 when the lights were automated. CCG also planned to burn the wooden light towers, but a local contractor was able to save the rear light and move it to private property. As part of the agreement, he was required to lower the tower and turn it 90 degrees to avoid confusion with the new steel rear tower. The lower section of the rear tower has been converted to a storage shed and the top portion is attached to a new building that houses a swimming pool. The original front light was saved by CCG and has recently received a new coat of paint. The lights are an active aid to navigation and both display a red light and red stripe on a white background for better daytime visibility. It is possible to get near the lights from land, back in a resort development, but the lights are best seen from the river. |
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