Point Pinos Lighthouse facts for kids

The Point Pinos Lighthouse first shone its light on February 1, 1855. Its job was to guide ships sailing along the Pacific Coast of California. This lighthouse is special because it's the oldest one on the West Coast of the United States that has been working non-stop. Even its original lens is still in use!

Another lighthouse, on Alcatraz Island, started working a bit earlier. But it was later replaced. The Point Pinos Lighthouse is still an active guide for ships, managed by the United States Coast Guard. You can also visit it! The city of Pacific Grove runs a museum there. The lighthouse is even surrounded by the Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Links.

How the Lighthouse Works

The light you see today is 89 feet (27 m) above sea level. It uses a powerful 1 kilowatt bulb. This bulb creates a bright beam that can be seen up to 15 nautical miles; 27 kilometres (17 mi) away on a clear day.

In the past, the lighthouse keeper had to turn the light on and off. It would be lit one hour before sunset and turned off one hour after sunrise. But in 1975, the lighthouse became automated. This means machines took over the job! A small battery-powered backup light was added outside the tower. The main light now stays on all the time.

The light has a simple pattern: it's on for 3 seconds, then off for 1 second. This helps ships know it's the Point Pinos Lighthouse. There used to be a radio beacon too, which helped ships find their way up to 20 miles (30 km) away. A foghorn was also used when it was too foggy to see. But in 1993, with the invention of GPS (Global Positioning Satellite navigation), these older tools were no longer needed.

The Story of Point Pinos Light

The special lens inside the lighthouse is called a Fresnel lens. It has many lenses and prisms. It was made in France in 1853. A bigger lens was planned, but it didn't arrive in time. So, the lens meant for the Fort Point Lighthouse in San Francisco was used instead.

The first light source was a whale oil lantern. The keeper had to climb the tower many times a night to fill its tank. Whale oil was very expensive! Soon, it was replaced by cheaper liquified lard oil. Then, in 1880, kerosene was used. Around 1900, an incandescent vapor lamp was installed. Finally, in 1919, electric lights took over.

From 1912 to 1940, a special system rotated a metal shutter around the light. This made the beam disappear for 10 out of every 30 seconds. Later, a timed flasher created the "on/off" pattern we see today.

In 1874, Lighthouse Avenue in Pacific Grove was created. It was named after the Point Pinos Lighthouse. This road was used to bring supplies and building materials from the port in Monterey to the lighthouse.

Building the Lighthouse

The land where the lighthouse stands was once part of a large Mexican land grant called Rancho Punta de Pinos. In 1850, after California became part of the United States, Congress decided to build lighthouses on the West Coast. The government bought 25 acres of land for the lighthouse. Construction started in 1853. But it took until 1855 for the lighthouse to open. This was because of delays in getting the lenses and prisms from France.

Famous Lightkeepers

The first lightkeeper was Charles Layton. He was paid $1,000 a year. Sadly, he was killed in 1855 while helping the sheriff chase an outlaw. His wife, Charlotte, took over as head lightkeeper. She stayed until 1860, when she married her assistant, George Harris.

The famous writer Robert Louis Stevenson visited lightkeeper Allen Luce in 1879. Stevenson walked a long way from Monterey to get there. He wrote about Luce's kindness, his piano playing, and his ship models. He even mentioned the lighthouse in his book From Scotland to Silverado.

The most well-known lightkeeper was Mrs. Emily Fish. She worked from 1893 to 1914. People called her the "Socialite Keeper" because she loved to have guests at the lighthouse.

Visiting Today

The Point Pinos Lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site. You can visit the lighthouse for tours on Saturdays and Sundays.

Image gallery

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  Point Pinos lighthouse in 1871

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  An old photo from the USCG

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  The lighthouse showing its Fresnel lens

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  Another view of the lighthouse from 2009

See also

• List of lighthouses in California