Polyvalence / Versatility

Point-au-Père was distinguished by its versatility, with many services and functions growing around its lighthouse and pilot station. In 1859, telegraph connections linked Point-au-Père with Québec, providing the only rapid way to transmit information to that port and to Montreal. In 1906, the installation of a Marconi station capable of sending wireless signals up to 483 kilometers greatly improved communications with ships, and fourteen other wireless stations carried transmissions along the St. Lawrence and Atlantic coast. In 1923, Point-au-Père assumed part of the work of the Gross-Île quarantine station, with doctors using pilot boats to board vessels sailing upriver, continuing with them to Gross-Île if passengers required quarantine or to Québec if none did; this service ended in 1936 when the quarantine station closed. From 1894 to 1983, the Point-au-Père marigraph continuously recorded tidal movements, making possible the compilation of a regional tide table and helping establish Canadian and international altimetric references.

Quebec · Canada