Port Weller Lighthouse
St. Catharines, Ontario

History:
Port Weller marks the northern entrance of the Welland Canal, which links Lake Ontario with Lake Erie. The canal allowed vessels to bypass the Niagara River and Niagara Falls, and opened all of the Great Lakes to outside shipping. The canal's original 1829 northern terminus was Port Dalhousie.

Modifications to the canal over time have moved the entrance three times. The current northern terminus was completed in 1932 at Port Weller. The first lighthouse was completed in 1931. The white concrete Art Deco style light, built during development of the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Williamson, p. 98), is still active.

The main light at Port Weller was further inland from the pierhead. The light was a skeleton frame with a lantern room and catwalk at the top. The life of keeper Cyril Williamson and his family is chronicled in Ethel Williamson's A Light on the Seaway. The Williamsons lived at the station for 25 years from 1946 until the main light was extinguished. The main light was demolished in 1971.

Source: Rudy and Alice's Lighthouse Page

Personal Note:
Unless you've got a really powerful lens, it's probably not worth trying to see this light. The above photo was taken with a 400mm lens, and it's still a long distance photo.

Latitude/Longitude: 43.244796,-79.217609

Nearest Address: Welland Canals Pkwy St Catharines, ON L2M 1A1, Canada

• From Niagra Falls, Ontario, take the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) east towards Toronto.
• Take exit 46.
• At the end of the ramp, turn left onto Lake St.
• Follow Lake St. for about 1km. At that point much of the traffic forks left onto Lakeport Rd. Do like everyone else and bear left onto Lakeport Rd.
• Take Lakeport Rd. for 1.2km to the traffic lights. Turn right onto Lakeshore Rd.
• Follow Lakeshore Rd. for about 4.5km. Just before the bridge that goes over the Welland Canal, take a left onto Bunting Rd. (may also be called Government Rd).
• Take that road as far as you can go. Off in the distance, at the mouth of the canal, you'll see the light.

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