Surgeon Cove Head

Light Keepers Residence Restoration Project

The first Newfoundland lighthouse was established at Fort Amherst at the entrance to St. John's harbour in 1833. Numerous light stations were constructed along the coastline during the years that followed and in 1938, 238 lights were identified on a published list. One such lighthouse was established at Surgeons Cove Head, Exploits Island, Bay of Exploits in 1911. Like many of the major light stations, Surgeon Cove was maintained and operated by light keepers who lived and sometimes raised families in an adjacent residence.

In recent years the Department of Fisheries and Oceans began to automate many of the lighthouses, thereby  reducing the requirement for the presence of light keepers. In 2002 , Surgeon Cove Head  followed suit and for the first time since 1911 was without human occupation.

The photo on the left shows both the original light constructed in 1911(right of photo) and the automated light (left of photo) that's runs from a solar powered system. 

Located atop high cliffs, the light overlooks a onetime busy shipping lane for ocean going paper carriers, oil tankers and freight carriers on their way to the seaport town of Botwood, NL. The view is spectacular!          

The photo below shows the light keepers residence as it looks today. Constructed in the late 1950s, to replace the original structure, it could accommodate two families. Each half of the dwelling contains a kitchen, living room, washroom and 3 bedrooms. The basement has a sizeable working area as well as two huge cisterns that serve as a water collection and storage system.   

In 2005, three years after the light station was automated, the residence was turned over to the town of Lewisporte for tourism development. As a result, the Town accepted proposals from local tourism operators expressing interest.

In 2008 (it was a long process) Canoe Hill Adventures signed a long term lease with the Town to develop the property into a tourist establishment. Our plan is to market the establishment as an  accommodations facility ( hopefully for the summer of 2011) that can be incorporated  into our sea kayak tours or simply serve as a relaxing and remote retreat away from it all. And away from it all it is indeed!! Read on to find out more. 

The property is located at the western end of one of two islands that form Exploits Islands at the entrance to the Bay of Exploits. These historic islands are accessible by boat from many outport communities surrounding the Bay of Exploits. Once on the islands, the light station is not easily accessible and comes by way of  three options. The first is by way of nearly two hundred steps that lead from the waters edge to the top of the cliffs and then just a short walk of a hundred meters or so. This is easily accomplished with calm seas but unfortunately there are numerous days throughout the year when seas conditions prevent small boats from safely docking at the base of the steps. Option number two, and for those who like to hike, is to safely dock in the shelter of Exploits harbour and walk 4.2 km across the island. Many of our sea kayaking clients have walked the trail and were fascinated with the plant life. Departing from Butts Cove, the trail will lead you through fields that were occupied many years ago, then through a boreal forest and out to the rugged coastal area where the light station is located. Boreal forest plants flourish along the trail and many hikers spend hours photographing them. The trail is a little challenging as a result of the topography but well worth the effort if you are in reasonable shape. Option number three, the easiest but probably the most expensive, is to fly by helicopter  from Appleton. Appleton is a small community on the Trans Canada Highway located about 15 minutes west of Gander. It's the home base of Newfoundland Helicopters and the estimated flying time is approximately half an hour one way. The light station sports a state of the art helicopter deck that is still used by DFO to occasionally maintain the automated light.   This map  shows the location of the light station as indicated by a star like symbol at the most western (far left) of the islands. For a larger and clearer image please click here.     

Stay tuned for updates.