PIGEON POINT - Located near Pescadero, along Highway 1 in San Mateo County, the Pigeon Point Light Station
was established in 1871, and first lit in 1872. California State Parks, in partnership with the Peninsula
Open Space Trust (POST), a leading private, public benefit land trust, made an application to acquire
the lighthouse in 2002. In March 2004, the National Park Service selected California State Parks to
own and manage the lighthouse and supervise restoration efforts.
Under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, about 300 lighthouses
were transferred, because GPS, Global Positioning Satellite technology, rendered them obsolete.
Pigeon Point was the second light station to be transferred to California State
Parks
POINT CABRILLO Light Station
State Historic Park
Lighthouse
Information: 707-937-6122
Address: 12301 N. Highway 1, Box 1,
Mendocino CA 95460
This lighthouse on
the Mendocino Coast has the light keeper
house available for rent.
Lighthouse History
and Frolic Shipwreck Exhibit, and
Lightkeepers Home & Museum open every
day, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The nature
preserve is open daily until 1/2 hour after
Sunset. For information call 707
937-6122. pointcabrillo.org
Point
Cabrillo Light Station houses a third
order, British-built Fresnel lens by
Chance Bros. The lens is located in the
light tower and has a range of 13-15
miles. First powered by a kerosene oil
lamp, it is one of only three examples
in the U.S. of British-built
lenses still in operation. Head keeper
Wilhelm Baumgartner lit the lens for the
first time on June 10,1909. Built and
managed by the US. Lighthouse Service
under the Department of Commerce the
original Point Cabrillo Light Station
included most the buildings still
standing today. Three lightkeeper's
residences, coal buildings, a carpentry
shop and smithy, and the oil house are
original--the pump house and water tank
are not. The Coast Guard took ownership
in 1939 and families lived in the
lighthouse quarters until 1992 when a
conservancy was formed and took over
operations of the the light station.
Originally the lens rotated by means
of a clockworks mechanism with a
descending weight. A chain with a 65-80
LB weight on the end of it passed
through the floor of each level of the
light tower. The light keeper would
crank up the chain onto a drum every 2
hours. The lens rotated at a fixed
speed and produced a flash at ten second
intervals. The rotation pattern of a
lighthouse is printed on the nautical
chart, it's the lighthouse signature and
must not vary.
In 2002 ownership of the light
station was transferred from the
California State Coastal Conservancy to
California State Parks providing $4
million dollars from State Parks to the
restoration of the remaining buildings
at the light station. Point Cabrillo
Light Station was listed in 2011 as one
of 70 state parks facilities facing
potential closure due to budget
constraints.
POINT
MONTARA
POINT SUR - Light
Station was transferred to California
State parks in April 2004 by Secretary
Norton.
Tour Info: 831-625-4419 (Closed to
public except by guided tour.)
Mailing Address: Big Sur Station
#1, Big Sur, CA 93920
The Point Sur Lightstation sits 361 feet
above the surf on a large volcanic rock.
Point Sur is the only complete
turn-of-the century Lightstation open to
the public in California, and is on the
National Register of Historic Places.
First lit on August 1, 1889, the
lighthouse has remained in continuous
operation. Lighthouse keepers and their
families lived at the site from 1889 to
1974 when the lighthouse was automated.
Today the Lightstation buildings are
being restored through the efforts of
park staff, State Park volunteers and
the non-profit Central Coast Lighthouse
Keepers. The Lightstation is open to the
public only through docent-led tours.
