Point Clark

This article is about the lakeside community in Ontario. For the city with a similar name in Alaska, see Clark's Point, Alaska

The lighthouse in Point Clark

Point Clark is a lakefront cottage community on Lake Huron, in Ontario Canada. It is approximately 20 kilometers south of Kincardine and 35 kilometers north of Goderich. Main streets include Huron Road and Lake Range Road. Point Clark is served by Highway 21 (Ontario). It is a cottage town, and has a rare Imperial Tower style lighthouse. There is a sandy beach and a small harbor with a boat ramp. There are two streams/rivers that run into Lake Huron around Point Clark: Clark Creek and Pine River. Both are a leading souce of ecoli and other bacteria from farm run off. Local land owners deny all proof and blame cottages. A septic reinspection program has proved the ecoli problems along the lakeshore is not caused by cottages. There is a separate harbor in the mouth of the Pine River. Amberley is just outside and to the south of Point Clark and Lucknow is to the south-east of Point Clark. Canadian country/folk singer/songwriter Darrell Roberts (The Darrell Roberts Band) is retired and living in Point Clark. Now living under a different name, Roberts, known to be reclusive, is seldom seen. Residents can occasionally hear his music through the trees, but are unable to pinpoint the location.

History

In 1850, Point Clark was originally called The Point. Later, the area was known as Pine Point as a lantern was hung from a pine tree to warn sailors of the shoal off the point, prior to the building of the lighthouse. After settlers moved in from Clark Township, Huron County, the area was known as "Clark's Point." Later, the town received the name it bears today—Point Clark.

Lighthouse

Point Clark is known for its lighthouse which warns sailors of the shoal 2 miles off the Lake Huron coast. The lighthouse is 110 feet tall, made of limestone brought from Inverhuron by barge. Construction of the lighthouse started in 1857. There are 114 steps from the bottom to the lantern room. The 12 sided cast iron^[1] lantern was first lit on April 1, 1859 and is 87 feet from the base of the tower. The Point Clark lighthouse was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1966,^[2][3] the first Ontario lighthouse to be so designated.^[4] The lighthouse was built by John Brown in the well-known series of the six Imperial Towers.^[5] To help build the lighthouse, several French builders were used. The light was first automated in 1924, but as a result of the poor quality of the light the original second-order fresnel lens was reinstalled. In 1963 the fresnel lens was automated. Its light characteristic is a single white flash every ten seconds, emitted at a focal plane height of 93 feet (28.5 m).

The lighthouse is owned by Parks Canada. The lightkeeper's house is now a museum operated by the Township of Huron-Kinloss and tourists can tour the lightkeeper's home and the lighthouse from mid June to Labour Day.^[6]

Industrial Wind Turbines

There are huge Industrial wind turbines near Point Clark, developed by one of Canada's largest polluters, Suncor Energy Products Inc. and Acciona Wind Energy Canada over 3,600 hectares of land. There reasoning for the destruction of prime farmland was to buy carbon credits in order to continue it's destruction in the tar sands in Alberta. There are 38 turbines in all, that put out very little power unless the wind is perfect. Suncor claims they have a capacity of 2000 kilowatts each, although they very seldom produce a fraction of that rating. Those living near the turbines were forced to leave their homes behind, mostly frow sickness cause by the high pitched noise and shadow flicker caused by the turbines. Weathy land owners are pushing for more turbines, claiming money is more important than their neighbour's health and happiness or the loss of property values for thousands of lakeshore area cottage and home owners. The township is fighting against future builds, however powerful oil companies and wealthy land owners are pushing for more. ^[7]

External links

• Point Clark Official Government
• Lighthouse Information
• Point Clark Beach Association

References

Coordinates: 44°04′12″N 81°44′56″W / 44.070°N 81.749°W / 44.070; -81.749