Lighthouses of Canada: Manitoba

The nation of Canada was created by the British North America Act in 1867 with Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia as the four original provinces. Today Canada is a federation of ten provinces and three large federal territories in the far north of the country.

The province of Manitoba, located west of Ontario, was created in 1870 from land ceded to Canada by the Hudson's Bay Company in the previous year. It attained its present borders with transfers of land from the Northwest Territories in 1881 and 1912. Since 1912 it extends northward from the U.S. border to latitude 60° North and the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay. Winnipeg is the capital and largest city in the province.

Located far from the ocean, Manitoba may seem at first to be an unlikely location for lighthouses. Nonetheless, Manitoba once had about a dozen lighthouses built on Lake Winnipeg and other navigable lakes and rivers in the southern part of the province. Six of these lighthouses remain active today, and fortunately three of the others have been preserved. Manitoba also has a northern salt-water coastline on Hudson Bay, and there are several skeletal lighthouses on that coast.

Aids to navigation in Canada are maintained by the Canadian Coast Guard. In 2008 Parliament passed the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act to designate and protect historic lighthouses.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. CCG numbers are from the Inland Waters volume of the List of Lights, Buoys, and Fog Signals of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. For Hudson Bay lights, Admiralty numbers are from Volume H of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals, and U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110.

General Sources
Manitoba Canada Lighthouses
Photos and notes from Kraig Anderson's LighthouseFriends.com web site.
Manitoba Lighthouse Images
Rare photos contributed by Ron Walker, Canadian Coast Guard.
Our Lighthouse Lifetime
Web page for an e-book by Millard Vance Barteaux; it includes images of several paintings of Manitoba lighthouses.
Lighthouses in Manitoba
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
List of Lights, Buoys, and Fog Signals
Official Canadian light lists are available in both pdf and html formats.
GPSNavigationCharts
Navigation charts covering most of Lake Winnipeg.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for Manitoba waters.


Gimli Light, Gimli, March 2014
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Robert Linsdell

Red River Lightbeacon
The Red River, called the Red River of the North in the U.S., flows northward through Manitoba, passing the provincial capital of Winnipeg, to empty into Lake Winnipeg. The river is navigable from Lake Winnipeg to Winnipeg city thanks to the St. Andrews Lock and Dam at Lockport, 28 km (17 mi) north of the city.

* [St. Andrews Lock Range Front]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); continuous red light. Mast mounted on a 3 m (10 ft) square pyramidal stone base. The mast carries a daymark colored white with a red vertical stripe. Google has a street view but the small light is not very conspicuous in Google's satellite view. The rear light is also on a mast. Located on the west side of the river at the southbound entrance to the lock. Site open, tower closed. CCG I-1558.84 .

Historic Lighthouses relocated to Selkirk
Selkirk is a city of about 10,000 residents on the Red River about 40 km (25 mi) northeast of the provincial capital, Winnipeg.
* Red River Range Front (2)
1914 (station established 1895). Inactive since 1992 (a decorative light is displayed). 8 m (27 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with red trim. A photo is at right, Russell Pelletier has a 2017 photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Originally located at the mouth of the Red River on Lake Winnipeg; Ron Walker has contributed a historic photo. In 1992 it was deactivated and relocated to the Marine Museum of Manitoba on the Red River at Queen Avenue and Evelyn Street in Selkirk. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Marine Museum of Manitoba. ARLHS CAN-738M.
* Black Bear Island (1)
1898. Inactive. 8 m (27 ft) square pyramidal wood tower, painted white with red trim. Clark McCaw has a good photo (note the Red River Range Light in the background), A. Chowdhury has a 2021 closeup, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Originally located on an island in Lake Winnipeg, the lighthouse has been relocated to the Marine Museum of Manitoba at Queen Avenue and Evelyn Street in Selkirk. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Marine Museum of Manitoba. ARLHS CAN-736M.

Southern Lake Winnipeg Lighthouses
Lake Winnipeg is a very large lake, 416 km (258 mi) long, extending northward from the mouth of the Red River about 55 km (34 mi) north of the city of Winnipeg. The lake is generally rather shallow, and navigation today is almost entirely recreational.

Red River Mouth (Red River Range Rear (2))
Date unknown (station established 1895). Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 4 s. 17 m (56 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a daymark colored white with an orange vertical stripe and mounted on a square platform supported by piles. No recent photo available but Google has a satellite view. This was previously the rear light of a range guiding vessels entering the Main Channel of the Red River Delta from Lake Winnipeg. The front light was on a 7.5 m (25 ft) mast. Walker has contributed a historic photo of the original lighthouse, a square skeletal tower with lantern, gallery, and enclosed upper portion. It was demolished in 1992. The range was discontinued in 2019 and the rear light continues under its new name. Located on the east side of the channel 600 m (3/8 mi) south of the lakeshore. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS CAN-1430; CCG I-1561.8 (ex-I-1563).
Red River Range Front Light
Red River Range Front Light, Selkirk, July 2010
Flickr photo copyright Cindy's Here; used by permission
Winnipeg Beach (1) (relocated to Chalet Beach)
1910. Inactive since 1963. Approx. 7 m (23 ft) square wood tower with lantern and gallery. Formerly located on the breakwater at Winnipeg Beach, the lighthouse was sold in 1964, relocated, and attached to a private residence at Chalet Beach, about 10 km (6 mi) south of Winnipeg Beach. No current photo available and the tower has not been found in Google's satellite view. The present owner, Johann Sigurdson, assisted the effort to build a replica of the lighthouse (next entry). Site and tower closed (private property).
* Winnipeg Beach (1) (replica)
2017 replica of 1910 lighthouse. Approx. 7 m (23 ft) square wood tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with red trim. Richard Williams's photo is at right, Patrick Villacorta has a closeup photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. In 2012 Gordie Driscoll, a local resident, proposed that a new lighthouse be built on the breakwater in celebration of the resort town's centennial in 2014. This proposal was not accepted but several other area residents were successful in raising funds in 2015 for materials to build a replica nearby. Construction was completed in 2017. Located on the waterfront south of the harbor, near the intersection of Propect Street and Hazel Avenue. Owner: Town of Winnipeg Beach. Site open, tower closed.
* [Winnipeg Beach (3)]
2001 (station established at least by the 1920s). Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); red flash every 4 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) steel mast carrying a red and white rectangular daymark. No photo available but Google has a satellite view and a distant street view. Located at the end of the breakwater of Winnipeg Beach, a resort town near the southwestern corner of the lake. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. CCG I-1565.
* Gimli (1) (replica)
Replica of a 1910 lighthouse inactive since 1943. The original lighthouse was demolished after being heavily damaged by ice in 1943, but the lantern was saved and is now mounted on a 7 m (23 ft) square wood replica lighthouse attached to the Lake Winnipeg Visitor Centre. Robert Linsdell's photo is at the top of this page, Dmytro Malyk has a 2017 photo, a small photo is available, and Google has a street view and an indistinct satellite view. Gimli is an unincorporated community on the southwestern shore of the lake, an area originally settled by immigrants from Iceland. Located at the foot of Centre Street in Gimli. Site open, visitor center open daily May through September, tower status unknown. Owner: New Iceland Heritage Museum. Site manager: Lake Winnipeg Visitor Centre. ARLHS CAN-846.
[Gimli (3?)]
Late 2010s (station established 1910). Active; focal plane 7.5 m (25 ft); red flash every 4 s. 6 m (20 ft) slender square skeletal tower. colored white with red bands at the top and bottom. Nathan Chandler has a 2020 street view and Google has a satellite view. This light replaced a similar light that had a skeletal extension increasing its height to 10 m (33 ft). Linda Goodman has a good photo of the former light and Paul Turner has a 2016 street view. Located at the end of the rubblestone breakwater of Gimli harbor. Accessible only boat. Site open, tower closed. CCG I-1569.

Winnipeg Beach Light replica, Winnipeg Beach, May 2018
Google Maps photo by Richard Williams

Central Lake Winnipeg Lighthouses
Icelandic River Sector
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 226 m (740 ft); quick-flashing light, white, red or green depending on direction. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower painted white with red horizontal bands at the top and bottom. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This light guides vessels across a shallow basin between the south end of Hecla Island and the mouth of the Icelandic River on the west side of the lake. The tower is probably a communications tower. Located beside highway 8 about 2 km (1.25 mi) northwest of the river's mouth. Site open, tower closed. CCG I-1576.5.
Hecla Island Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); continuous white light. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a daymark painted white with an orange vertical stripe. No photo available but Bing has an indistinct satellite view. The front light is on a 6 m (20 ft) skeletal mast. Hecla Island is a wilderness island about 40 km (25 mi) long at the northern end of the southern basin of Lake Winnipeg. The island is incorporated into a provincial park and is accessible by a bridge on highway 8. Located near the south point of Hecla Island. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park. CCG I-1579.
* Gull Harbour (1)
1898. Inactive since 1926. 8 m (27 ft) square pyramidal wood tower, painted white with red trim. A photo by Larry Pries is at right, Michael Linton has posted a good photo, Cory Gurman has a photo also showing the newer lighthouse, the Manitoba Historical Society has a page for the lighthouses, and Google has a satellite view of the station. Desirée Rolfe's May 2019 photo showed the building much in need of restoration; Daniel Legal's September photo shows restoration in progress; and Jason Joseph's September 2020 photo shows the results. Larry Pries has a 2021 photo. The Gull Harbour lighthouses mark the Lake Winnipeg Narrows, a passage between Black Island and Hecla Island. Located at the end of a long sand spit at the northeastern end of Hecla Island. Accessible by road (the end of MB 8). Site open, tower closed. Owner: Province of Manitoba. Site manager: Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park. . ARLHS CAN-847.

1898 Gull Harbour Light, Hecla Island, November 2021
Google Maps photo by Larry Pries
* Gull Harbour (2)
1926. Active; focal plane 27.5 m (90 ft); white flash every 4 s. 23.5 m (77 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with enclosed lantern, gallery, and wood watchroom. Lantern and skeletal tower painted red, watchroom white. A photo by Larry Pries is at right, Heather Hinam has a 2007 closeup photo, Larry Pries has a 2021 photo, a 2023 photo is available, and Michael Linton has also posted a photo showing both lighthouses. This substantial lighthouse is visible for at least 10 miles up and down the lake. Accessible by road (the end of MB 8). Site open, tower closed. Owner: Canadian Coast Guard. Site manager: Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park. ARLHS CAN-848; CCG I-1583.
* Gull Harbour Marina
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained and unofficial; charted by Navionics); focal plane about 10 m (33 ft); flashing red light. Approx. 9 m (30 ft) square wood tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with red trim, lantern painted red. A photo is available, Paul Mugot also has a photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Site open, tower closed. Owner: Gull Harbour Marina and Lighthouse Inn.
Grindstone Point
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (50 ft); white flash every 4 s. 14 m (46 ft) square skeletal tower. Travel Manitoba has a photo that probably shows this lighthouse but Bing has only an indistinct satellite view. Located on the tip of the Grindstone Peninsula, which projects into the lake north of Hecla Island. Site open, tower closed. Owner: Canadian Coast Guard. Site manager: Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park. CCG I-1584.

Northern Lake Winnipeg Lighthouses
[Black Bear Island (2?)]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); quick-flashing white light. 5 m (17 ft) post carrying a recangular daymark colored red with a white horizontal band. A photo is available and Google has a satellite view. The original lighthouse is on display at Marine Museum of Manitoba in Selkirk (see above); its foundations remain. For northbound vessels the light marks the entrance to the northern basin of Lake Winnipeg. Located on the east end of Black Bear Island opposite the mainland village of Bloodvein. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS CAN-736H; CCG I-1592.

1926 Gull Harbour Lights, Hecla Island, November 2021
Google Maps photo by Larry Pries
Willow Point Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 4 s for general navigation; also a continuous white light on the range line. 15.5 m (51 ft) skeletal tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a prominent cape in the Kinwow Bay Park Reserve on the northwest coast of the lake. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. CCG I-1598.3.
Cox Reef (2)
Date unknown (station established 1905). Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 14 m (46 ft) skeletal tower. No photo of the modern light available but Bing has a satellite view of the station. The original lighthouse, a 2-story house, was demolished after being deactivated; its foundations are seen in the satellite view. Located on a small island in the channel between Berens Island and the northeast shore of the lake. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-844; CCG I-1600.
Berens Island (Plunkett Island) (3?)
Date unknown (station established 1885). Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 4 s. 13 m (43 ft) skeletal tower. No photo of the active light is available but Bing has a satellite view. An archive site has a provincial government report describing the lighthouse, a square tower attached to a keeper's cottage. The historic lighthouse was deactivated when the nearby Cox Reef Light was inaugurated. Located on the northern tip of Berens Island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. CCG I-1602.
George Island
1906. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); white flash every 4 s. 15.5 m (51 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with enclosed lantern and wood watchroom. Lantern and skeletal tower painted red, watchroom white. A Coast Guard photo is at right, Chris Kristjanson has posted a photo, and Google has a satellite view of the station. Ron Walker has also contributed a historic photo. Remote and rarely visited, this lighthouse is roughly 190 km (120 mi) north of Gull Harbour. Located on the east point of the island in northern Lake Winnipeg, about 25 km (15 mi) southeast of Poplar River. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-845; CCG I-1608.

George Island Light, Lake Winnipeg
Canadian Coast Guard photo courtesy of Ron Walker
Little Sandy Island
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); white flash every 4 s. 19 m (62 ft) skeletal tower. No photo available but Bing has an indistinct satellite view. The Sandy Islands are summits in the same mostly-submerged ridge that includes George Island. Located on a small island in the center of the northern basin of the lake. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. CCG I-1612.
Long Point (Kiche Point)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 4 s. 15.5 m (51 ft) skeletal tower. No photo available and Google has only a distant satellite view of the point. Located on a cape marking the approach to Grand Rapids. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. CCG I-1613.
Mission Point
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 4 s. 15.5 m (51 ft) skeletal tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a cape marking the approach to Grand Rapids, a village at the mouth of the Saskatchewan River. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. CCG I-1615.
Warren Landing Lower Range Front
1908. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); continuous white light. 6 m (20 ft) square pyramidal wood tower, painted white with red trim, a red lantern, and a black (not red) vertical stripe on the range line. Google has a satellite view. Located on Purvis Island on the east side of the entrance to the Nelson River. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-849; CCG I-1620.
Warren Landing Lower Range Rear (2)
Date unknown (station established 1908). Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); continuous white light. 13.5 m (44 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with enclosed lantern and wood watchroom. Lantern and skeletal tower painted red, watchroom white. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on Purvis Island on the east side of the entrance to the Nelson River, 780 m (1/2 mi) northeast of the front light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-850; CCG I-1621.
Warren Landing Upper Range Front
1908. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); continuous white light. 6 m (19 ft) square pyramidal wood tower, painted white with a red lantern and a red vertical stripe on the range line. A photo is at right and Google has a satellite view. Warren Landing is at the north end of Lake Winnipeg, where the lake empties into the Nelson River. Located on the west side of the river entrance. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-851; CCG I-1622.
Warren Landing Upper Range Rear (2)
Date unknown (station established 1908). Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); continuous white light. 14 m (46 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with a triangular daymark painted white with a red vertical stripe on the range line. Lantern and skeletal tower painted red, watchroom white. A photo is at right and Google has a satellite view. Located on the west side of the river entrance, 240 m (260 yd) north of the front light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-852; CCG I-1623.
Warren Landing Upper Range Lights
Warren Landing Upper Range Lights, Warren Landing
Canadian Coast Guard photo courtesy of Ron Walker

Hudson Bay Lighthouses
Commercial navigation began in Hudson Bay after a railroad was completed in 1929 to Churchill, on the southwestern shore of the bay near the northern border of Manitoba. This allowed Canadian farmers to ship grain to Europe via Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait. In 1997 the Canadian government sold the Hudson Bay Railway and the Port of Churchill to OmniTRAX, a railroad holding company. In May 2017 the railway was closed due to multiple washouts along the line. After a year of debate over who was responsible for repairs, the railroad and Port of Churchill were purchased in August 2018 by the Arctic Gateway Group, a company owned in part by First Nation communities. The new owners began repairs immediately and the railroad reopened on 31 October 2018. Grain shipments resumed in July 2019.
Ship Point Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); continuous white light. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) triangular skeletal tower carrying an orange daymark. Google has a distant street view and an indistinct satellite view. This is the first range guiding ships leaving the Churchill docks. Located on the west side of the mouth of the Churchill River estuary. Site open, tower closed. CCG I-2611; Admiralty H0029.1; NGA 0751.1.
Churchill Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); continuous white light. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) triangular skeletal tower carrying an orange daymark. Parks Canada has a street view (a small portion is at right) and Google has a satellite view. This is the entrance range for Churchill harbor. Located on the west side of the Churchill River estuary about 2 km (1.25 mi) southwest of the Ship Point Rear light. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site. CCG I-2612; Admiralty H0027; NGA 0752.
Churchill Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 47 m (154 ft); continuous white light. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) triangular skeletal tower carrying an orange daymark. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located 1633 m (1.01 mi) southwest of the front light. Site open, tower closed. CCG I-2613; Admiralty H0027.1; NGA 0756.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

  • Red River Range Rear (1914-1992), mouth of the river. The lighthouse was demolished. ARLHS CAN-1430.
  • Winnipegosis (1910-?), Lake Winnipegosis at the mouth of the Mossy River. Barteaux has a painting (bottom of the page). Range lights now mark the river entrance; Google has a distant street view of the Winnipegosis Range Rear Light (CCG I-1630). ARLHS CAN-860.

Range Front Light, Churchill, November 2020
Google Maps street view by Parks Canada

Notable faux lighthouses

Adjoining pages: East: Western Ontario | West: Saskatchewan

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Posted December 17, 2003. Checked and revised September 18, 2023. Lighthouses: 25. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.