Point
Sur Lightstation, California
N 36 18.373 W
121 54.094
Point Sur Lightstation is
located 19 miles south of Carmel, California. It is located
on a 360 foot moro rock formation. It went into service on
August 1, 1889. It contained a first-order Fresnel lens--the
largest. It was 18 feet tall. It is now in the Maritime
Museum in Monterey.
Spanish explorers and later New
England hide and tallow traders found the Big Sur coastline
a great hazard. Heavy fogs and extreme winds caused the
wreck of many vessels on this coast. The gold rush of 1849
dramatically increased coastal shipping. A lighthouse was
clearly needed. President Andrew Johnson signed the
Executive Order which reserved the site for lighthouse
purposes in 1866. Construction began in 1887 and the lamp
was lit on August 1, 1889.
You
can visit the lightstation on Saturdays and Sundays, and
some Wednesdays. The charge is $5.00 and the tours last
about 3 hours. Information regarding the lightstation and
the tours can be found at (visit
link) Another nice link is at (visit
link)