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Peter Rock Light Tower

a black & white etching in which a small sailboat, a larger sailing vessel and a steamboat all battle the waves near a tall round structure holding a white triangular marker. Hills rise to the far left.

Light Tower, near Cobourg. (Lake Ontario), W. H. Bartlett

Credit: Canadian Scenery Vol. 2, N. P. Willis, James S. Virtue, 1842

The force of the wind and water several times necessitated rebuilding or repairs to this structure

There is some doubt as to the accuracy of Bartlett’s representation of the Peter Rock Light Tower, also known as the Gull Island Light Tower.  However, this etching does give a faithful representation of the boats found on Lake Ontario in the 1840s when Bartlett visited Canada.

The Peter Rock Light Tower, which was on a reef about half way between Cobourg and Port Hope to the west, has been replaced by a small light buoy.