Lake Winnipeg is the eleventh-largest freshwater lake in the world and is contained entirely within the province of Manitoba. The lake stretches 416 kilometres (258 miles) from north to south and served for several centuries as an important trade route, helping link York Factory, the longtime headquarters for the Hudson’s Bay Company, on Hudson Bay to the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers at Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Early view of Gull Harbour Lighthouse Photograph courtesy Library and Archives Canada

Near its middle, Lake Winnipeg narrows, with only about two kilometres separating West Doghead Point from East Doghead Point at the northern entrance to this constriction and less than two kilometres separating Hecla Island (Big Island) and Black Island at the southern entrance to the constriction.

In 1898, the Department of Marine announced the establishment of two new lighthouses on the lake: one on the east end of Black Bear Island, just north of this constriction in the lake, known as The Narrows, and one at Gull Harbour, situated at the northeast tip of Hecla Island, at the southern end of the constriction.

To accommodate the increasing steamboat traffic on Lake Winnipeg, two additional lighthouses were built this year on that stretch of water, one on the point of Iand running out from Big Island to form Gull Harbour, the other on the easternmost extremity of Black Bear Island. The towers, which are similar, being square wooden buildings with sloping walls, surmounted by square wooden lanterns, all painted white, were erected by Mr. John W. Scott, of Selkirk, his contract price for the Gull Harbour lighthouse being $380, and for the other $405. The fixed white lights were put in operation in the autumn.

In 1876, Icelandic immigrants settled Hecla Island, which was named after Mount Hekla in Iceland. The community thrived for a number of years, but the island’s only school closed in 1970. The Government of Manitoba designated Hecla Island a provincial park in 1969.

In 1930, a much taller lighthouse was built at Gull Harbour, which was an important centre for the fisheries of Lake Winnipeg. This lighthouse consisted of a tapered, square, wooden tower topped by an octagonal metal lantern room and mounted atop a four-segment tapered steel tower. The new lighthouse raised the focal plane of Gull Harbour Light from roughly eight metres to 27.4 metres and greatly increased the distance at which the light could be seen.

August Magnusson was appointed the first keeper of Gull Harbour Lighthouse in 1898 at an annual salary of $150. He served through 1903, and then Thor. Fjeldsted took charge of the light until 1924. B. Halldorson was responsible for the light after Halldorson, and Olafur “Oli” Grimolfson served as the final resident keeper of the lighthouse.

Grimolfson was offered the job of keeper not long after returning from service in the Second World War. Keeper Grimolfson and his wife Eunice had three daughters and a son who lived with them at the lighthouse. Charlynne, one of the daughters, recalled that the family kept a cow, chickens, and a garden and that a barrel filled with ice was buried in the ground on the point to preserve meat during the summer.

Twice a day, Keeper Grimolfson would climb the flights of stairs leading up the lighthouse and crawl through a wooden hatch in the tower to ensure that the mercury bath was full and that the light was operating correctly. “My dad went up and down those stairs in storms, rain, hail, thunder, lightning, and wind, Charlynne said. “He was talking his life in his own hands many, many times.” When fog limited visibility in the area, Keeper Grimolfson would go inside the original 1898 lighthouse to activate a foghorn.

Charlynne remembers that one night a big storm rolled in and reduced visibility around Gull Harbour. Her parents were awakened that night by a bright light shining into their dwelling. “They got up and there was a large boat coming straight for the land and our house,” Charlynne recalled. Keeper Oli Grimolfson ran to the short lighthouse to activate the foghorn, while his wife grabbed two lanterns and frantically waved them near their dwelling to catch the attention of the approaching vessel. “It turned just at the right time – it didn’t hit the shore,” Charlynne said.

After commercial electricity reached Hecla island, a resident keeper was no longer needed at Gull Harbour, and the Grimolfsons moved off the island. Helgi Jones looked after the automated light part-time from 1962 to 1970.

In 2016, both the 1898 and 1926 Gull Harbour Lighthouses were designated heritage lighthouses under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act that was passed in 2008. These two are the only heritage lighthouses in Manitoba.

The Province of Manitoba restored the 1898 lighthouse in 2019, placing new wooden shingles on the short tower and giving the tower a fresh coat of paint.

Keepers: August Magnusson (1898 – 1903), Thor. Fjeldsted (1904 – 1924), B. Halldorson (1924 – at least 1937), Olafur “Oli” Grimolfson (1948 – 1961).

References

1. Annual Report of the Department of Marine and Fisheries, various years.
2. “ ‘Mom and dad saved many lives’: The stories of Gull Harbour, Man.’s last resident lighthouse keeper,” Danton Unger, CTV News.

From Lakeview Resort Hecla, you can walk 1.4 km out to the lighthouse.

The lighthouse is owned by the Canadian Coast Guard. Grounds open, tower closed.

Find the closest hotels to Gull Harbour (Old) Lighthouse