Saint Placide is a community on the north side of Ottawa River between Montreal and Ottawa. The first European settlers arrived in the area in 1780, and in 1867, a wharf was built along the shore to allow vessels of the Ottawa River Navigation Company to take delivery of wheat.

In 1874, the Department of Marine had six lighthouse built along the lower portion of Ottawa River as noted in its annual report for that year:

Six beacon light-houses of an inexpensive description were erected in the interests of the steamboat navigation of the Lower Ottawa, at the following points of that river, viz: Two at Caron’s Point, two miles below St. Anne’s, two beacons at St. Anne‘s, and two at St. Placide, about 17 miles further up the river. The beacons are square wooden buildings, and are lighted with lamps and reflectors on the catoptric principle. They were first put in operation on the 27th June last. Mr. Charles Gauthier, on the 1st May last, was placed in charge of the beacons of St. Placide at a yearly salary of $100, but no appointments have been made as yet to the charge of the others; they have been attended to by persons living in the vicinity. The cost of the construction of these beacons, including lighting apparatus, up to 30th June last, amounted to $1,618.20.

When built, the towers at Saint Placide were brown, but in 1892, the towers were painted white and the rear light was raised twelve feet. The front wooden tower was located near the wharf while the rear wooden tower was situated 930 feet away on a bearing of 45°. These lights together served to mark the upstream channel leading to the wharf. A shoal that paralleled the shore at St. Placide made the approach to the village difficult. Two channels with a width of roughly 100 feet were dredged through the shoal, one leading to the wharf from upstream and the other leading to the wharf from downstream.

In 1896, the front light of the range was moved 130 feet to a new site at the point where the axes of the upstream channel and downstream channel intersected. The new location was on the beach at the inner end of the wharf, where the wooden tower stood on a cribwork block. The height of the light in its new position was five feet lower than before. At this time, an additional light was placed in the front tower to mark the downstream channel. This sector light had a bright white beam at its center, with a red light indicating the port side of the channel when entering and a green light the starboard side. To help mark the downstream channel during daytime, a day beacon, consisting of a mast carrying a slatted, diamond-shaped target was placed on the bank east of the church.

In 1898, a light was placed on the day beacon to form a downstream range with the existing from tower. The new light was described in the 1898 Annual Report of the Department of Marine:

In 1896 coloured sectors were placed in the front range lighthouse, to mark the down stream channel leading to the wharf, but these were found not to define the cut with sufficient sharpness, and were removed and on the 5th November last an additional light was established, as a back light for the lower cut, on the day beacon established in 1896, which, in one with the front range light common to both ranges, leads through the lower cut.

It is a fixed white light, elevated 48 feet above the summer level of the lake, and should be visible three miles in the line of range. It is shown from a small headlight lantern attached to the mast of the day beacon, and is distant 340 feet N. by W. from the front light.

The poles or bushes marking the sides of the two cuts were, during the past season, put in order and improved, and taken under the management of the department.

Charles Gauthier, the first keeper of the range lights, looked after them until 1906. Joseph Lafleur took charge of the lights in 1907 and serve for two years. D. Lefebvre was appointed the next keeper in 1909, and H. Dubreuil served as keeper from 1912 through at least 1923.

In 1902, a wooden building, square in plan and with sloping sides, was placed on top of the bank east of the parish church to replace the day beacon with mast that served as the back light of the downstream range. The wooden tower stood twenty-three feet tall and its light, produced by a catoptric illuminating apparatus, was elevated forty-eight feet above the summer level of the lake.

In 1912, a pyramidal, skeletal tower replaced the wooden lighthouse that served as the original back range light of the upstream channel. Ontario Wind Engine and Pump Company supplied the new tower for $105, and day labour under the supervision of T. Weir erected the tower at a cost of $249.46. A reflector lantern, hoisted to the top of the skeletal tower, produced a fixed white light at an elevation of eighty-two feet. The skeletal tower was painted red, and a wooden shed at its base served as an oil house.

At some point, the front tower on the beach was hoisted up and a new steel foundation replaced the wooden cribwork that had supported the tower.

Today, there are no navigational lights exhibited at Saint Placide.

Keepers: Charles Gauthier (1874 – 1906), Joseph Lafleur (1907 – 1909), D. Lefebvre (1909 – 1912), H. Dubreuil (1912 – at least 1923).

References

1. Annual Report of the Department of Marine, various years.

No lights exist at this location today.

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