Triple Island  - Staffed
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Latitude 54 17 40.7N, Longitude 130 52 49.8W List of Lights #752
Established: January 1st, 1921 Automated:That's up to John Q. Public! Keep the lights manned!
Please note, clicking on the lighthouse name above takes you to a map showing the location
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Clicking on a photo takes you to a larger version of the photo.
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A very interesting history and a description of present day Triple appears on the Lighthouses of British Columbia webpages under Triple Island. But what about the earlier days before radio, central heating, monthly helicopter transportation and paid vacations?
The light was first manned on January 1st 1921 and has been occupied by families and single men ever since that time despite Nature's wish to destroy the place and it's people.
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Triple Island 1945
Photo from Joe H. Osborne
-note the highline cable to the right
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Triple Island 1945
Unloading supplies
CGS Alberni and CGS Berens
Photo from Joe H. Osborne
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Triple Island 1945
Photo from Joe H. Osborne
radio operator at the time
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The photos above were taken summer of 1945 when Joe Osborne was radio operator on Triple for three months along with Gordon and Jean Odlum.
"Quite an experience for a 19 year old," he said. "I used to enjoy getting out fishing after a ride down the high line with Gordon running the winch using a pair of binoculars to see when to drop the boat. His eyesight was not too good."
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The photo below shows Triple about 1950. The highline is still in place but the buildings and landings are not erected as shown in the 1955 photo below this one.
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The photo above was taken about 1955 when lightkeeper Ed Hartt and his family were living there together with an assistant keeper. All those wooden buildings and wharves. The two single guys now on station sometimes find it hard to get along. What happened back then?
Now take a look at the next two photos which show the station approximately twenty years later. Where are the docks and outbuildings?
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Triple Island c. 1970s
Lightkeeper Larry Golden standing at left
Photo from Rand Grant Flickr pages.
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Triple Island c. 1970s
Photo from Rand Grant Flickr pages.
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By the 1960s Triple had no more families. Two single men rotating on a twenty-eight day shift from Prince Rupert, BC replaced them. They were transported by helicopter when weather permitted. In the two photos above, note the direction-finding (DF) radio beacon antenna on the roof (now discontinued).
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Below are some closeup photos of the station. The first shows the ground plane copper strips for the DF antenna embedded in the tar of the roof.
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DF beacon
ground plane copper strips
on the roof.
c. late 1970s
Photo from Rand Grant
courtesy of his brother Bruce, the photographer
and assistant keeper at the time.
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Photo of the tower
which appears to have
the original 3rd order fresnel lens*
c. 1970s
Photo from Rand Grant
courtesy of his brother Bruce, the photographer
and assistant keeper at the time.
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The original helicopter pad was on another one of the Triple Islands separated by a gully which was filled with surging seawater at high tide or in storms. To get to the helicopter pad when you could not walk through the gully the staff rode "the cage".
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Stairs down to the cage c. late 1970s
Photo from Rand Grant
courtesy of his brother Bruce, the photographer
and assistant keeper at the time.
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The cage c. late 1970s
Photo from Rand Grant
courtesy of his brother Bruce, the photographer
and assistant keeper at the time.
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Many people lost their lives in the construction and maintenance of Triple Island. The last was Prince Rupert Coast Guard mechanic Paul Pouliot in February 1978 when he was swept away by a freak wave while walking across the gully to repair "the cage".
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Triple Island at dusk c. 1990s
Third order fresnel lens visible.*
Photo from Jeannie Nielson
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Triple Island looking west 1992
Third order fresnel lens visible.*
Photo from Alec Provan
(1750 x 1200 extra-large size)
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Now, the helicopter landing pad has been moved closer to the tower as can be seen in the present day photos below.
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Triple Island from the sea c. 2005
Photo from Jeannie Nielson
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Triple aerial shot 1994
Photo from Chris Mills
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Triple Island from the sea c. 2005
Photo from Jeannie Nielson
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Triple Island - note the foghorns c. 2005
Also note the blacked out light.
The "new improved" lamp is now located above
the red lantern, left of the wind tower
Photo from Glenn Borgens
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Triple Island from the sea c. 2005
Photo from Jeannie Nielson
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Triple from the helo c. 2005
Photo from Glenn Borgens
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Triple Island from boat 1995
Photo from Alec Provan
(2050 x 1540 extra-large size)
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There are many stories of damage to Triple Island light. Things like logs through bathroom windows, light tower windows and other damage from storm and wave-driven projectiles.
The photos below show some of the damage inflicted by a storm in September 2005.
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| Keepers |
| Thomas Watkins | PLK (1920-1923) | |
| John Thomas Moran | PLK (1929-1930) | |
| Gordon Odlum | PLK (1942-1952) | |
| Joseph H. Osborne | RO (1945-1945) | radio operator |
| ? Perrie | ALK (1948-?) | |
| Gil Fetterly | PLK (1948-?) | relief keeper |
| Russ Botham | PLK (1953-1954) | |
| Dennis Hull | ALK (1953-1954) | |
| Edward Albert Hartt | PLK (1954-1957) | |
| John Milton, Sr. | PLK (?-?) | |
| John Milton, Jr. | ALK (?-?) | |
| Remite Ernest Vargas | PLK (c. 1960) | relief keeper |
| L. M. Clifford | PLK (c.1960) | |
| John Paul Turcotte | ALK (?-?) | |
| Doug Franklin | ALK (?-?) | |
| Peter Redhead | PLK (?-1978) | |
| Ray McKenzie | ALK (?-?) | |
| Bruce Grant | ALK (1977-1981) | |
| Randall Wade Grant | ALK (1978-1978) | relief keeper |
| P. McAnn | ALK (1978-?) | |
| Kip Hedley | PLK (? - ?) | |
| Doug Rogers | ALK (? - ?) | |
| Edward Beard | ALK (1986-?) | |
| Robert Akerstrom | ALK (1974-2002) | relief keeper |
| Shawn Rose | ALK (?-?) | |
| Larry Golden | PLK (1978-2006) | |
| Mike Higgins | ALK (1995-1995) | |
| Bill Bemister | ALK (1996-1999) | |
| Erik Milton | ALK (2000-2007) | |
| Glenn Borgens | PLK (2006-2007) | |
| Gerry Toner | ALK (?-2004) | |
Find lighthouse keepers from other stations here.
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