Point Cabrillo Light Station

These two #PupsAtThePoint are looking so happy to be enjoying the great weather on the Mendocino Coast this month! : @dukemac_ @MacHouse_

: @carlos_de_la_mission www.pointcabrillo.org

On February 15 of 1906, the Third Order Fresnel Lens at Mile Rocks Lighthouse was lit for the first time! Unlike Point Cabrillo Light Station, Mile Rocks was a stag station, because of the limited space on the rock. There was barely enough room for the lightkeepers, so no wives or children were allowed on the island! In order to stay in contact, one keeper’s wife would walk out to Lands End in San Francisco to use a flashlight to signal a greeting to her husband. In the 19...60s, as plans were made to automate many of the country’s lighthouses, the Coast Guard decided to demolish the upper two tiers of the Mile Rocks Lighthouse tower, in order to convert it into a helicopter landing pad. While many of the people of San Francisco protested the plans, the top of the tower was demolished in 1966. The San Francisco Maritime Museum tried to acquire the top forty feet of the lighthouse for their displays, but the cost was too much, and Mile Rocks was decapitated. Although the tower itself only stood for 60 years, the Fresnel lens from Mile Rocks can still be seen today at the Old Point Loma Lighthouse in San Diego. Second photo from @maydaze on Instagram.

On February 15 of 1875, the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse was lit for the first time. The signature from its First Order Fresnel lens was a white flash every fifteen seconds atop the 100 foot Piedras Blancas Lighthouse tower. Nextdoor to the lighthouse was a two-story Victorian dwelling, which housed all three of the lightkeepers and their families in twelve rooms. The home was built for two families, but the lightkeepers made do. The lightkeepers’ residence wasn’t completed un...til 1876 due to depleted funds, so the families lived in the construction workers’ shanties for over a year after the lighthouse was operational. In December of 1948, there was an earthquake that damaged the upper portion of the tower considerably, so the top was removed. Piedras Blancas Lighthouse continued as an active aid to navigation with a rotating aerobeacon atop the capped tower. Today, Piedras Blancas Lighthouse is managed by the Piedras Blancas Light Station Association, a non-profit partner of the BLM. They help raise funds for restoration and maintenance. Recent photo from @marlennees_shots_ on Instagram.

One of our favorite birds to see out here is the Western Meadowlark! One of the great things about this bird is that they're easy to spot... their chest is a bright yellow, and they have a prominent black V just below their neck. Have you seen this bird before? Photo from @lisafrancephotography.

On June 1, 1854, the first lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States was lit for the first time. Alcatraz Island was an important place for a lighthouse, because of the huge influx of people to the San Francisco Bay Area as a result of the Gold Rush. This lighthouse was built eleven years before the island was ever used as a prison.... A new, taller tower (see second photo) was built on the grounds in 1909, replacing the old one. Thanks to LighthouseFriends .com for the photos! See more

We had so much fun joining the United States Lighthouse Society for a virtual event last week, featuring lighthouses with accommodations. You can skip to 23:18 to see the Point Cabrillo Light Station presentation, or watch the whole thing to learn more about the many great lighthouses you can stay at around the world! . .... . Nick Korstad, Big Bay Point Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast, Michigan Brian Tefft, Rose Island Lighthouse, Rhode Island Gigi Lirot, Whitehead Light Station, Maine Jen Lewis, Point Cabrillo Lighthouse, California Misty Anderson, Heceta Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast, Oregon Elena Hansteensen, Litløy Fyr Littleisland Lighthouse, Norway Carol Livingstone & Jimmy Stewart, West Point Lighthouse Inn & Museum, PEI, Canada Desiree Heveroh, East Brother Light Station, California Chad Kaiser, New Dungeness Lighthouse, Washington Erik Nissen Johansen, Pater Noster Lighthouse | Hotell & Konferens, Sweden Jeff Gales, Point No Point Light, Washington See more

Such a beautiful sunset shot from @gokulpixel! If you haven't experienced a sunset at Point Cabrillo Lighthouse yet, it's time to get that trip on the books!

Ready for a getaway? We have four different vacation rentals on the property at Point Cabrillo, and they’re all the original buildings that they started construction on in 1908.

Wonderful news!!

Watch the sunset with us!!

Some very noisy sea lions on a beautiful (but windy) day at the Caspar Headlands State Preserve!! Can you see the flash from Point Cabrillo? #mendocinocoast #pacificocean #visitcalifornia #sealions #norcal #lighthouses

Last week, the CDC made the announcement that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are safe to be inside buildings with other persons unmasked. While we are thankful that so many in our community have been vaccinated, we are still requiring that every person over the age of two (2) must wear a mask in order to enter any of the indoor museums and exhibits at Point Cabrillo Light Station, whether or not you have been vaccinated. You are welcome to walk the grounds o...f our State Park without a mask outdoors, but facial coverings are still required as soon as you enter any of our buildings, or are speaking with our staff or volunteers. Thank you for respecting these guidelines as you enjoy Point Cabrillo! Photos from @casesofcasey, @berlinvalentin @hope_owl, @welcometojen.

Support Point Cabrillo by bringing home a harbor seal for Valentine's Day!

Sweet Sunny giving kisses at Point Cabrillo, and becoming the newest doggo in our #PupsAtThePoint collection! Photo from @sunnygoldendog on Instagram.

We love watching the clouds move in at Point Cabrillo! Photo from @rickquiz on Instagram.

Cumulus clouds moving overhead at Point Cabrillo Light Station earlier this afternoon!

Happy birthday to Virginia Woolf, author of the 1927 stream of consciousness novel 'To the Lighthouse'!

This bench and a Point Cabrillo sunset are waiting for you.

Colors through the Monterey Cypress trees. We are loving these gorgeous December sunsets!

Dreaming of collecting seashells along the California Coast? Here's a little something to do during your Christmas holiday! shop: https://pointcabrillo.org/visit/giftshop/

On this day in 1856, the Battery Point Lighthouse was lit for the first time off the coast of Crescent City in northern California. The lighthouse was built on a small islet, connected to shore by an isthmus, and only accessible at low tides. In 1964, the most devastating tsunami ever recorded on the west coast of America swept through the town of Crescent City, causing death and destruction in its wake. Miraculously, the lighthouse was not destroyed by the waves that sank the town of Crescent City. The lightkeepers watched as the town was destroyed, killing 11 people, toppling 91 homes and costing over 7 million dollars in repairs. Thank you to @shmooster for the second photo!

A timelapse of tonight’s sunset at Point Cabrillo Light Station.