In the mid 1800's when the first boats navigated the
waters of Georgian Bay, very few of the channels were marked with anything
more than a pile of stones. It was determined that a barrel be erected with
a lantern placed on top to guide the boats into the channel after dark
or in the event of a storm. This served as the first lighthouse for Pointe
au Baril, hence the name which translates "Point with the Barrel". In 1889
the first lighthouse was erected to replace the barrel light. It stands to
this day, over a hundred years old and still in use to guide fishing boats,
sportsmen and residents to safe harbour, and is open for viewing during the
summer months.
History buffs will want to visit the stone monument marking the canoe route
of Samuel de Champlain's passage through the Pointe au Baril waterway to
Georgian Bay in 1615.
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