Port Credit Lighthouse

Port Credit Lighthouse....

Welcome to the first stop on the Old Port Credit tour. Although this lighthouse is a modern reconstruction, it is an iconic representation of the area.  Before this was a neighbourhood of quaint houses, restaurants and busy streets, this was a place defined by water, trading and commerce — the Credit River, Port Credit Harbour and Lake Ontario.

The name Port Credit connects to the history of the Mississaugas First Nation tribes and the trading post on the river. For generations, the mouth of the Credit River was an important place for travel, fishing and trade.  Much of that trade was on credit where traders would supply the locals with goods in the fall and get paid back with furs trapped over the winter in the spring.  It gave rise to the first name of the water body as "Missinhe" meaning "trusting creek".
 

 The lighthouse we see today is actually quite recent. The first Port Credit lighthouse was built in 1863, stood out in the harbour, and eventually disappeared after a long history of floods, changing shorelines and fire. Today's lighthouse, built in 1991, reminds us of that much older maritime story.
 

One of the most familiar sights near any harbour is a lighthouse, and Port Credit has had its share of them. The first was constructed in 1863 by Frederick Chase Capreol. The lighthouse, which was built out in the harbour, was taken over by the Ontario government in 1882. A 1908 flood separated the lighthouse from the mainland and in 1918 the lighthouse closed. The old lighthouse burned in 1936. The present lighthouse was constructed in 1991 and, while not an historic structure, is a reminder of Port Credit’s maritime heritage. 

The current structure at Lakeshore Road and Front Street South houses a Peel Region pumping station and is the home of the Port Credit Business Improvement Association. From the deck one can get a very good view of the Credit River and Port Credit harbour.