In 1889, tenders were invited for the construction of a steam-powered fog alarm on Discovery Island. Mary Ann had two daughters, Edith and May, for whom she was mostly responsible after her husband was hospitalized. Richard Brinn was appointed the first keeper of the lighthouse in 1886 at the age of fifty-three, and during the latter part of his time at the station, his daughter, Mary Ann Croft, helped with his responsibilities. George Brown was placed in temporary charge of the lighthouse on October 15, 1885, but the light was not exhibited for the first time until April 8th of the following year. The height of the tower measured forty-one feet from the ground to the weather vane atop the lantern room, from which a fifth-order light was shown at a focal plane of ninety-one feet. The structure, built of wood, consisted of a square pyramidal tower surmounted by a metal lantern and attached to a one-and-a-half-storey keeper’s dwelling. In 1885, a $2,300 contract was awarded to Alex Mennie, of Port Moody, for the construction of a lighthouse on Sea Bird Point. Though the steamer was eventually freed, its name has forever since been attached to the point. ![]() On September 7, 1858, the paddle steamer Sea Bird, bound from Victoria to the Fraser River loaded with Gold Rush passengers, caught fire near Discovery Island, forcing its captain to deliberately ground her on the eastern point of Discovery Island. Captain Kellet named the smaller island just to the north Chatham Island, for the HMS Chatham that accompanied the HMS Discovery during the Vancouver Expedition.Īn 1869 edition of the Coast Pilot noted that a lighthouse was needed on Discovery Island to mark the southwest side of the entrance to Haro Strait, an important shipping lane that follows the border between the United States and Canada and leads to the Inside Passage. As a result, while traveling the waters of Bay Lake, guests can still see much of the island along the coastline, including the buildings used for ticketing, pathways, habitat areas, netting, and what’s left of the “ship” run aground on the beach referred to as the “Walrus.Situated two and a half miles off the southeast point of Vancouver Island, Discovery Island was named in 1846 by Captain Henry Kellet after the HMS Discovery, Captain George Vancouver’s lead ship during his exploration of the west coast of North America in the early 1790s. No longer accessible to guests, the island was essentially abandoned with only the dock itself being removed. Since that time the island has been left dormant, but continues to be a home to many native birds and other species. In early 1999 the majority of the animals on the island were relocated to Disney’s newest park, Animal Kingdom. ![]() ![]() The island featured a host of animals found not only in natural habitats, but all over the island wandering freely (with the exception of the netting over the island in some areas). Guests wishing to visit the island boarded a vessel for a short trip to the dock where they could purchase tickets for entry. Opening in April of 1974, Discovery Island (originally referred to as Treasure Island) was a roughly 11-acre island located in the middle of Bay Lake used as a wildlife preserve.
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