Lennox Passage Provincial Park is a small picnic and beach park on the shores of Lennox Passage on the North Shore of

Isle Madame Isle Madame is an island off southeastern Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. It is part of the Municipality of the County of Richmond. Once part of the French colony of Île-Royale, it may have been named for Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise ...

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, with of shoreline, an operating

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

and site of a former post office (c. 1910), ferry terminal and two limestone quarries. Visitors can picnic at tables scattered through a forest and open areas, enjoy the of trails, or explore the working lighthouse. In summer the park offers swimming, kayaking, and biking opportunities. There are snowshoeing and cross-country skiing opportunities in the winter, however parking is available at the gate only in the off-season. The park is located on Hwy 320, east of the junction of Routes 320 and 206. Lennox Passage Provincial Park was established by Order in Council (OIC 85-227) on March 12, 1985.

Grandique Point Lighthouse

Located in the park is the historic Grandique Point Lighthouse.

History

The first Grandique Point Light, also known as Grandique Ferry Light, a pole light, was established at Grandique in 1884. After the opening of the

St. Peters Canal The St. Peters Canal is a small shipping canal located in eastern Canada on Cape Breton Island. It crosses an isthmus in the village of St. Peter's, Nova Scotia which connects St. Peters Inlet of Bras d'Or Lake to the north with St. Peters Bay of ...

, Lennox Passage saw an increase in marine traffic. For safety reasons, lighthouses were established along the route. The first lightkeeper was Daniel Clough, son of the merchant Nathaniel Cough, a recipient of one of the first Crown Land grants on Isle Madame. In the late 1800s the lighthouse was flanked by docks for limestone and plaster quarries and quays for the Isle Madame farmers to bring their produce and livestock to market. There was also a passenger ferry that landed on Grandique Pointe quite near the lighthouse. Many of these features can still be seen today. Due to erosion at the Grandique spit of land, the pole light was moved in 1900 and in 1906 a proper lighthouse was built. Storm damage caused the Grandique Point lighthouse to be moved for a second time. In the winter of 2010, the lighthouse was moved to its present location. The last lightkeeper at Grandique was Stanley Forgeron who took over in 1960. In 1961 Forgeron oversaw the conversion to an automated light in 1961 and became caretaker.

Lightkeepers at Grandique Point

Lennox Passage Provincial Park and Grandique Point Lighthouse 01

* Daniel Clough 1884-1908 * D A Kaulbach 1908-1909 * C A Kaulbach 1909-1919 * Charles Shannon 1909-1923 * John Doiron * Henry Young * Melvin Shannon 1939-1960 * Stanley Forgeron 1960-1961 * Stanley Forgeron (as caretaker) 1961-1968

References

External links

"Lennox Passage Provincial Park", ''Provincial Park and Park Reserve Series''
, includes map. {{Nova Scotia parks Provincial parks of Nova Scotia Hiking trails in Nova Scotia Tourist attractions in Richmond County, Nova Scotia