To the editor:
I am dismayed at Ottawa’s plan to tear down our 10 regional lighthouses – for that matter, any heritage lighthouse in the country. But seeing the one on our breakwater entrance, known as Thunder Bay Main, always bring backs memories of the 1930s as a kid living in downtown Port Arthur.
Before being somewhat filled in over the early years (not the present project), the lake was comparatively shallow for about 1,000 yards out. Pulp logs were plentiful along the shorelines, so we would lash logs together and push the resulting raft along with poles on the lake bottom, being careful not to drift out into deep water and become stranded, especially if a storm came up.
Needless to say, it was very dangerous, but what did we care, even though we couldn’t swim?
When my dad heard this he called the police who broke up our rafts. Darn it, we didn’t even have a splash pad back then.
I still marvel at seeing the beautiful Sleeping Giant with the iconic little lighthouse on the waterfront while driving down River Street on my way to work every day. Good luck to Diane Berube and Susan Visser on their lighthouses work-to-stay programs.
Dennis Caporale,
Thunder Bay
