Page 7 - John Muir Elementary School - Division 9
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Exploring the Lighthouse
A Brief History of the Lighthouse...
Sheringham Point Lighthouse was built in 1912, and illuminated for the Creation of the Light-
first time on September 30 of that year. house began in 1911, Under construction - 1912
with the purchase of 4
The Lighthouse was built in response to the tragic wreck of the steamship acres of land from Shir-
SS Valencia, on January 22, 1906. En route from San Francisco to Victoria ley resident Edwin Clark.
and Seattle, late at night and in rough weather, the Valencia missed the The following year, the
turn into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and steamed directly on to the rocks lighthouse tower was
near Pachena Point. Of the 182 people aboard, 136 were lost. built, along with a small
boathouse and a house
for the lighkeeper and
Newly completed - ca 1912 his family. The first
lightkeeper, Eustace Ar-
den, arrived in Septem-
ber, and continued at the
site until 1946.
The light itself was
a 3rd Order Fresnel
Lens. Originally lit by
oil lamps (and later by
electric lamps), it was
made up of many prisms
which focused the light
into a powerful beam
that could be seen up to
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 7