'The jewel of the southeast': Alaskans join forces to restore abandoned lighthouse

Emerging from the waves at the foot of the mountains on an uninhabited island about an hour south of Haines, in southeast Alaska, stands a relic from the Klondike gold rush.

The Eldred Rock lighthouse was built in the early 20th century after the Clara Nevada, one of the many steamships that operated between the South and the Yukon, and then the interior of Alaska, headed into a winter storm on Feb. 5, 1898.

It was said to be carrying between 40 to 60 passengers, a crew of about 40, up to 800 pounds of gold and an illegal load of dynamite.

"Just over 30 miles into her journey, the ship ran aground on an uncharted rock several hundred yards north of Eldred Rock. Witnesses from nearby Seward City reported seeing an explosion and fire, and it was assumed all lives were lost," states the Association for the Preservation of the Eldred Rock Lighthouse.

Or so goes the official version. 

Rumors persist to this day that the ship's sinking wasn't an accident. There are reports of crew members, including the ship's captain, being seen ashore long after the sinking, suggesting they deliberately set the ship on fire to steal gold from the prospectors returning from the Klondike.

Whatever happened, the U.S. government decided to build a lighthouse on Eldred Rock to avoid any further disasters.

In 1906, the lighthouse saw the arrival of its first keepers and in 1973, almost 50 years ago, it was abandoned.

The Association for the Preservation of the Eldred Rock Lighthouse has been working hard to bring the lighthouse back to life, along with the history of the region. 

The goal is to welcome visitors back to the island, which lies about 30 kilometres south of Haines and 90 kilometres north of Juneau. Ultimately, the group wants to host events, such as weddings, and be able to finance a human presence on the site.

In mid-July, about a dozen people were living on the island, working to restore the lighthouse.

But it hasn't been easy restoring an abandoned building on an island where winds and the ocean's current are often unpredictable.

"Weather is a challenge for planning and getting things done," says Sue York, the association's director. "Of 10 trips planned for restoration work on the island, only three have happened."

Another major challenge is the paint inside the building; it contains lead, among other things.