North America’s Great Lakes are so vast, they are like inland seas, and are subject to violent storms. In the 1800’s as shipping became more active, lighthouses were set up in critical areas all around the lakes. Several remain to this day, although with modern technology like GPS on ships, the lighthouses are more tourist attraction than critical navigation aid, although nonetheless still useful in that role.
The non-profit group Canadian Lighthouses of Lake Superior (CLLS) helps maintain the lighthouses and is offering a summer job to Canadian students to man three of the locations for the summer
Paul Morralee is a member of the Board for CLLS
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With technology, many government owned lighthouses were either automated, meaning keepers were no longer needed, or simply abandoned. This meant buildings on the property were often left to deteriorate and/or be vandalized.
Many volunteer and non-profit community groups thought this was wrong and have sprung up to preserve these historic buildings.
The CLLS is one of them. To help with the preservation, during the summer tourist season students are hired through a federal government programme to man the lighthouses during the summer tourist season.
They act as guides, and maintain the buildings and grounds.
The jobs are open to Canadian students, high school, college, or university, who will be returning to school in the fall.
Morralee says the pay is only minimum wage, about $11 an hour, but food and lodging are free, and students can also work on their own school or other projects as well as experiencing the incredible majesty of the Lake Superior environment.
Morralee says he hopes summer student employees would look back on the experience as life changing, or at least a very beneficial experience, as have previous students, and others who have spent any length of time at the island light stations.
There is also an “artist in residence “ programme.
He is surprised however that there have not been a great many applicants for these positions.
Winners will be chosen from the applicants by the end of this month.
CLLS 2-min video of summer lighthouse keeper job
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