Point Reyes Lighthouse facts for kids

The Point Reyes Lighthouse, also known as Point Reyes Light, is a famous lighthouse located on Point Reyes in California, United States. It stands in the Point Reyes National Seashore, a beautiful park in Marin County. This historic lighthouse helps guide ships safely past the rocky coast.

Visiting the Lighthouse

The park has a Lighthouse Visitor Center nearby. Here, you can learn all about the lighthouse, the ocean animals, and the nature of the park. If the weather is good, visitors can walk down about 300 steps to reach the lighthouse itself. Inside the main part of the lighthouse, called the Lens Room, you can see the amazing Fresnel lens and its clockwork parts. This room is open to the public at certain times.

History of the Lighthouse

A lighthouse was planned for Point Reyes in 1855. However, building it was delayed for 15 years. This was because the government and the landowners argued about a fair price for the land.

The lighthouse is a 16-sided tower, about 37 feet (11 meters) tall. It looks very similar to the Cape Mendocino Light. The special Fresnel lens was first lit on December 1, 1870. Electricity came to the lighthouse in 1938, making it easier to operate. In 1939, concrete steps were built into the cliff. The station became automated in 1975, meaning machines took over the work.

Life at the Lighthouse

In 1962, four people worked at the Point Reyes Light Station. They kept the light, fog signal, and radio beacon working. The light tower is made of strong iron plates. It is bolted right into the solid rock. The top of the lantern is 37 feet (11 meters) above the ground. The light shines from 294 feet (90 meters) above sea level.

To get to the light, the workers had to go down 308 steps from their homes. Their homes were new, two-story buildings built in 1960. Other buildings included the fog signal building and an engine room.

Point Reyes is known as one of the windiest and foggiest places on the Pacific Coast. The station often had weeks of thick fog. Strong winds, sometimes 75 to 100 miles per hour, would hit the area every year.

The Point Reyes Light Station was a popular place for visitors. On sunny summer weekends, hundreds of people would come to see it. Guiding these visitors became a big part of the workers' jobs. Children living at the station traveled three miles (five kilometers) by car to school.

The Point Reyes Light Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. This means it is an important historical site.

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See also

• Camp Hydle
• List of lighthouses in the United States
• Point Reyes Lifeboat Station, also listed on the National Register