Review in the Northern Mariner

Cantwells’ Way

A Natural History of the Cape Spear Lightstation

by James E. Candow  

Candow, a retired Parks Canada historian and accomplished writer of Newfoundland history, combines archival materials, oral history testimony, and personal reflections to produce this well-evidenced, thoughtfully written, and emotionally engaging account of the Cape Spear Lightstation and its Cantwell family dynasty of keepers on the easternmost edge of North America. Despite its problematic organization and surprisingly light treatment of the site’s history, natural or otherwise, over the past quarter-century, the book presents a rare and welcome understanding of how people, place and technology interacted at one of Canada’s most famous lightstations through a period of massive transformation. While readers will recognize ‘lighthouse’, most will not be familiar with the moniker ‘lightstation’. In fact, the latter term is most suitable as it describes the lighthouse proper as well as those ancillary structures in close proximity to it, including the fog alarm building. As Candow convincingly argues, the story of the lighthouse cannot be told in isolation from that of the associated structures and related technologies, the lives of successive generations of Cantwell family members who cared for the lightstation between 1846 and 1997, and the broader context of Newfoundland history. He delivers a reasonably thorough examination of these multiple facets, tracing the evolution of lighthouse development in Newfoundland as the island moved from its original role as a seasonal fishing station to permanent settlement, and its administration from a fishing admiral and naval commodore to responsible, commission and provincial governments. Overall, the story told here is a highly interesting and significant one, especially pertinent today as technology ever advances, automation continues to remove the human element from lightstations, and tourism seeks to capitalize on the days of yore. There is some disappointment, however, with this book. Poor organization damages the continuity and clarity of its focus. Five chapters contain 16, 25, 19, 44 and 3 pages respectively, followed by a five-page epilogue. Chapter one provides a useful and logical introduction to the history and technology of lighthouses and fog alarms before moving onto chapter two and the origins of the Cape Spear lighthouse in 1836 and its long line of Cantwell family keepers to 1910. Chapter three focuses on “life and labour to 1914” without any justification for this arbitrary time period. It is assumed that the outbreak of the First World War led to a marked change in the way of life at Cape Spear, though how or why is never made apparent. Further complicating matters is the comparatively lengthy fourth chapter, “The Dying of the Light”, which seemingly suggests that the lightstation and its keepers were on track for an inevitable demise for most of the twentieth century. The previous chapters do not make a case for a ‘golden age’ experienced prior to 1914, nor does chapter four indicate that the forces for change and the effects of these changes were of a similar nature through the tumultuous period characterized by two world wars, the Great Depression, Newfoundland’s joining Canada in 1949, and the replacement of the original lighthouse with the current one in 1955. The two latter developments seem obvious ones on which to anchor a concluding chapter that also combines an exceedingly brief chapter five and the epilogue. This leads to a further question regarding the lightstation’s continued symbolic significance after it was destaffed on 31 March, curiously marking the 48th anniversary of Newfoundland joining Canada. Clearly there is nostalgia here for a bygone time, which is natural given the momentous changes experienced since Confederation, most notably the crushing collapse of the cod fishery and the moratorium of the early 1990s. It is too bad the author did not devote more thought to the place of the lightstation in the Newfoundland and Canadian public consciousness since then, for these images have been widely used by Parks Canada and the provincial government in their popular tourism campaigns. These problems should have been identified and addressed through the editorial process, though their cause appears to have been linked to both the author’s gradual expansion of the project from the original Parks Canada commission and his eventual completion of this project in retirement. Readers may want to obtain a sense of how other lightstations fared during the same period, which will actually enhance their appreciation for this book. Similar studies exist for the United Kingdom and the United States, though the topic has drawn very little in the way of scholarship on Canadian lightstations, apart from various Parks Canada publications. A further achievement of this book is its ability to interweave the human story of the Cantwell lightkeepers and their relationship with the natural landscape of the Cape, with the centuries-old narrative of scientific and technological innovation and adaptation. Given that the only staffed lightstations in Canada reside in Newfoundland, New Brunswick and British Columbia, it is hoped that Candow’s book, the best yet written, will help ‘light’ the way for similar projects. This reviewer fondly recalls evenings with neighbours and friends stretched out on front lawns in east-end St. John’s listening to the bellow of the ‘foghorn’ or following the rays across the night sky emanating from the Cape Spear ‘light’. Most of us had never been to sea and never would, but the echo of that sound and the massive spotlight crossing the sky every few seconds were a reminder that others did. Of more importance to us was the comfort of home felt through that magical sound and light show. Candow’s book revived these memories and gave them added value through the perspective of those responsible for providing such comforts.

— Michael F. Dove, Northern Mariner

Back

Login

Don’t know your password? We can help you reset it.

Are you a student?

Answer a few questions to get a special discount code only available to students.

Your Cart

There is nothing in your cart. Go find some books!