L'Anse Amour
The lighthoues at Point Amour. The building is now a museum.
L'Anse Amour has several claims as part of the history of the Strait of Belle Isle. Perhaps the most important is a Maritime Archaic burial mound dating back some 7000 years. Archeologists determined that the grave belongs to a 12 -year old child, surrounded in death by what must have been elaborate offerings of bone and stone tools, a pendant and whistle. A toggling harpoon also found in the burial mound is evidence that this technology was far older than previous thought. This National Historic Site is the oldest known human burial in North America.
In 1875 a lighthouse was built at nearby Point Amour. At 109 ft, it is the tallest lighthouse in Atlantic Canada and the second highest in the country. Using a Fresnel lens, the light sent out a beam over 40 meters long. In 1996 the light was converted to an automatic system. The buildings - lighthouse keeper's home and storage sheds - are now a museum. Below the lighthouse, one unlucky vessel, the HMS Raleigh was wrecked in 1922. A piece of its hull is still visible on the shore.
L'Anse Amour Photos : ( Click each for full size )
An early lens and light fixture is on display at the Point Amour Lighthouse Museum.
Ancient aboriginal burial mound at L'Anse Amour.
L'Anse Amour : The Wreck of the SS Raleigh
The Strait of Belle Isle can be a dangerous place for ships in bad weather. On August 8, 1922 HMS Raleigh, a three-year old naval cruiser carrying 700 crew members, ran aground at Point Amour as it attempted to avoid a large iceberg. As it sat wrecked on the rocks, a lifeboat heading for shore with a lifeline capsized, drowning eleven crewmembers. Eventually the crew managed to get a line the ship to shore and the remaining men were saved. Over 70 years later, debris is still evident below the looming lighthouse.
Photos : ( Click each for full size )
