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As was formerly mentioned, one of the recommendations after the sinking of
The Valencia was that a lighthouse be installed at Pachena Point 10 km down the lifesaving trail from Pachena Bay, near Bamfield. The first attempt at construction was swept away by a landslide in February 1907. Everything was finally installed, including a dioptric design lens with a four million candle power beam, and lit for the first time on May 21st, 1908.

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Pachena Lighthouse
2005
Pachena Point, West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
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Plans for Pachena Lighthouse
31 July 1906
Pachena Point, West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
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Alfred Ernest Drinkwater was hired by Contractor George Forrest from Port Alberni to build the Pachena Lighthouse after the Valencia tragedy.
My grandmother thinks that Gus Labelle may have been on the crew as well. Gus Labelle was related to Alfred by marriage. Gus was married to Alfred's oldest sister Ida. My grandmother is almost 88 and remembers her parents talking about the ship wreck and the lighthouse contract. She remembers her father talking about broken & busted trunks & boxes etc. with personal items strewn about the beach. She wasn't quite sure how long after the Valencia sank that construction began. It was at the time of construction that he managed to salvage a few pieces of wood. He built two picture frames and he used some of the salvaged wood for trim around a bedside table he built. My grandmother has this table I suppose that it was because of his involvement in the lighthouse that he later was hired on to build various buildings in Bamfield. He was hired by Mr. Jennings (Len's Dad) to build his store later to be the "BC Packer" building. He built the small houses that are seen near the waterfront of some of the old Cable Station photos. I think that Joe Skipsey was also hired on with Alfred to build the Cable Station houses. Roald Ostrom told me a number of years ago that his house that Jack Purdy now owns, near the Ostrom's Machine Shop was built by Alfred. She also said that Ebba's house was built by Alfred for a tall English man who was a remittance man. He didn't work and had a Japanese woman as a housekeeper or servant. He was married and his first house was situated near where Kingfisher is. It had apparently burnt down. During these various contracts in Bamfield he would occasionally move his family to Bamfield. My grandmother remembers staying in the old McKay store. She also went to school here on occasion with Ebba, Irma, Johnny Vanden etc. They also stayed in the old house that was where Moncur's house is now. She and her younger brother would look forward to a Chinese mans' visits. He was hired on at the Cable Station and would now across the inlet to pick seafood from the rocks down past Brady's Beach I guess. She remembers he was a very nice & friendly man who would bring them treats and candy from the Cable Station. Then he quit coming and it was later found that he had died from seafood poisoning. She said it had really upset her at the time.

Story Courtesy of Gord Hawkins

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Group at Pachena Lighthouse
2006
Pacific Ocean, west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia
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Pachena Point Lighthouse
2006
Pachena Point, West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
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Pachena Point Lighthouse
2006
Pachena Point, West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
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Pachena Point Lighthouse
1950
Pachena Point, West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
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Plans of the Bamfield Creek Lifeboat House
10 July 1901
Bamfield, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
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Bamfield Lifeboat Station
1910
Bamfield, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
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One of the early Bamfield Lifeboats
1910
Bamfield, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
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Lifeboat Station and Lifeboat, with ship in foreground.
1910
Bamfield, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada


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Engineers House at the Bamfield Creek Lifeboat Station
August, 1927
Bamfield, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada


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The Lifeboat Station
1900
Clo-oose, West Coast Vancouver island, British Columbia, Canada
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