The Upper Great Lakes are known for their treacherous waters, where unpredictable weather and hidden shoals have led to untold numbers of shipwrecks over the centuries.
Many—including the wrecks of the Hackett at Horse Island and the Labatte family at Thunder Beach near Penetanguishene—have been preserved by Métis communities through stories and passed down through the generations.
With such events looming large in Métis communities’ memories, it should come as little surprise that numerous generations of Métis have dutifully tended to the many lighthouses that play a crucial role in guiding ships safely through the Upper Great Lakes’ perilous waters.
Later in his life, for example, famed Métis mail carrier Louis Miron served as the very first light keeper at the Gargantua Harbour lighthouse on the eastern shore of Lake Superior, north of Sault Ste. Marie. Louis Miron’s work inspired a legacy of lighthouse keeping in the Miron family, spanning three generations and nearly six decades.
The Miron’s light-keeping legacy was matched only by the Davieux family, who also served as Métis light keepers for three generations at the Quebec Harbour and Davieux Island lighthouses on Michipicoten Island.
On the eastern shores of Georgian Bay, Pierre Regis Lamorandiere was one particularly notable Métis light keeper.
During his time maintaining the lighthouse at Killarney, Lamorandiere also made efforts to stop settler fishermen from carelessly depleting the fish populations that his Métis community so deeply relied upon to maintain their distinct economy and way of life.
For his efforts, Pierre Regis Lamorandiere and his family members received threats and suffered attacks against themselves and their home.
While automation of the Upper Great Lakes’ lighthouses has made the profession of light keeper a relic of the past, the stories that Métis light keepers inspired continue to live on within the imaginations of Upper Great Lakes Métis communities to this day.
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