In the stormy waters of the Lynn Canal sits a small island surrounded by majestic, snow covered mountains.  The island is called Eldred Rock, and for over 100 years it has been the home of the Eldred Rock Lighthouse.

First lit on June 1, 1906 and one of the remotest lighthouses in North America, the Eldred Rock Lighthouse was built after some disastrous shipwrecks in the vicinity, especially during the 1898 Gold Rush, when the Lynn Canal was full of steamships bringing miners to Skagway for their climb over Chilkoot Pass.

Perhaps the most spectacular wreck of the time was during February of 1898, when the steamship Clara Nevada went down adjacent to the rock under suspicious circumstances.  As many as 75 lives and 850 bounds of gold were lost.  There were four survivors, and the gold has never been discovered or the mystery of the disaster solved.  This helped bring about the support in Washington D.C. to have navigational aides in Alaska.

The lighthouse keepers were supplied by ships and launches from Haines that brought food, movies, mail, fuel and fresh water.  Due to severe storms, keepers in the past were sometimes unable to leave the building, and in the 1930s a keeper died on the rock.  For ten days they could not even call for help.

Eldred Rock is home to diverse wildlife.  Otters and many seabirds, including oystercatchers, make their regular home there.  Whales are a common sight in the vicinity, and seals and endangered Stellar sea lions congregate there.

The original lens was a third order Fresnel lens (2100 candle power), made in Paris, France.  It was first rotated by pulleys and lighted by kerosene.  We at the Sheldon Museum & Cultural Center now proudly display it in our collection.