Point Clark is a lakefront town on Lake Huron, in Canada. It is approximately 20 kilometers south of Kincardine and 35 kilometers north of Goderich. Main streets include Huron Road and Lake Range Road. Point Clark is served by Highway 21 (Ontario). It is a cottage town, and has a rare Imperial Tower style lighthouse. There is a sandy beach and a small harbor with a boat ramp. There are two streams/rivers that run into Lake Huron around Point Clark: Clark Creek and Pine River. There is a separate harbor in the mouth of the Pine River. Amberley is just outside and to the south of Point Clark and Lucknow is to the south-east of Point Clark.
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In 1850, Point Clark was originally called The Point. Later, the area was known as Pine Point as a lantern was hung from a pine tree to warn sailors of the shoal off the point, prior to the building of the lighthouse. After settlers moved in from Clark Township, Huron County, the area was known as "Clark's Point." Later, the town received the name it bears today—Point Clark.
Point Clark is known for its lighthouse which warns sailors of the shoal 2 miles off the Lake Huron coast. The lighthouse is 110 feet tall, made of limestone brought from Inverhuron by barge. Construction of the lighthouse started in 1857. There are 114 steps from the bottom to the lantern room. The 12 sided cast iron[1] lantern was first lit on April 1, 1859 and is 87 feet from the base of the tower. The Point Clark lighthouse was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1966,[2][3] the first Ontario lighthouse to be so designated.[4] The lighthouse was built by John Brown in the well-known series of the six Imperial Towers.[5] To help build the lighthouse, several French builders were used. The light was first automated in 1924, but as a result of the poor quality of the light the original second-order fresnel lens was reinstalled. In 1963 the fresnel lens was automated. Its light characteristic is a single white flash every ten seconds, emitted at a focal plane height of 93 feet (28.5 m).
The lighthouse is owned by Parks Canada. The lightkeeper's house is now a museum operated by the Township of Huron-Kinloss and tourists can tour the lightkeeper's home and the lighthouse from mid June to Labour Day.[6]
There are wind turbines near Point Clark, developed by Suncor Energy Products Inc. and Acciona Wind Energy Canada over 3,600 hectares of land. There are 38 turbines and each has a capacity of 2000 kilowatts. [7]
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