As you arrive in the area you will see a tall, red and white radio communication tower equipped with several guy wires. Set amid the perimeter of pine trees there is a building which houses the technical operation. In reality very little space is used today and most sites today would only have a small electrical service building to operate. The building here was formerly a full fledged coast guard radio station, with radio operators on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Now there is nobody assigned to the location and all communications are handled by staff for this location from Sarnia. Lake Erie had three towers serving the shipping and recreational traffic with the other towers being located near Fonthill and Leamington when I first became involved with the maritime community. To provide better service the Canadian Coast Guard added a tower at Rondeau.
During the same period of time as when I was becoming familiar with the marine radio communication service for the Canadian side of the Great Lakes the Canadian Coast Guard had radio stations located at Cardinal, Toronto, Port Burwell,Sarnia, Wiarton, Killarney, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunderbay. That network of communication services at which real people used to monitor several radio channels has now been consolidated so that actual radio communication stations are now located at Prescott, Sarnia and Thunderbay, The other stations mentioned above have now been unmanned in the name of progress.
This former radio station site east of Port Burwell, at Clear Creek, holds a special place in my heart as this was where I had my very first contact with the coast guard and a real life radio operator as I was driving by one day. As I had a real interest in the radio system and the coast guard I walked up to the door and was welcomed on a winter day before shipping had ceased for the winter by the operator. We had a real good conversation for about an hour and I went on my way. That was long ago, and today I have been associated with the Canadian Coast Guard for nearly 30 years.
This tower is an essential part of the marine radio system on the Great Lakes with radio operators in Sarnia doing functions to provide for the safety of commercial and recreational vessels, a true safety service which has existed for many years. There have been changes over the years but the service is valuable.
Alas, the original building described above has now been covered with sheet metal. It is no longer recognizable as a office/housing structure and the hertiage of the building has been lost but I still have a fond memory; and now you know that M.C.T.S. is a government acronym for Marine Communication and Traffic Services, a combined function for what once was Coast Guard Radio and Vessel Traffic services, two separate operations which have been combined as one operating unit.