Punta Gorda Lighthouse is a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, south of

Cape Mendocino Cape Mendocino (Spanish: ''Cabo Mendocino'', meaning "Cape of Mendoza"), which is located approximately north of San Francisco, is located on the Lost Coast entirely within Humboldt County, California, United States. At 124° 24' 34" W longitude ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, within Humboldt County. Access is via a short hike from the end of a 4WD road. It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

History

Punta Gorda Lighthouse was built in 1911 and was first lit in 1912. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, it was decided that given the remoteness of the station it was too costly to maintain. A lighted buoy was placed offshore, the fourth order

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

was removed, and the station was boarded up and deactivated in 1951. The keeper's house and all other station buildings were eventually demolished except the reinforced concrete light station building and the metal framework for the lantern room atop it and the reinforced concrete oil house were left standing. Historical Information from USCG web site: Punta Gorda originally consisted of upon which were situated three dwellings, a small two-story concrete lighthouse, concrete oil house, a wooden fog signal building, blacksmith/carpenter-shop, three storage sheds, and a barn. In 1951 all aids-to-navigation were discontinued, the buildings boarded up and personnel transferred. The property was transferred to the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

. In the late 1960s "hippies" moved into the quarters and improved them. Local authorities evicted these people and the Bureau of Land Management burned all the buildings except the Lighthouse and oil house. Punta Gorda was and is a very difficult station to reach. Most of the years it was in operation access was via horse, and during good weather horse-drawn wagon. After the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

assumed command a rough road was constructed (that usually washed out) and a jeep was used for transportation. One Coast Guard career horse, named Old Bill, served the Punta Gorda Light Station as a saddle horse, pack horse, and buggy horse for thirty years until the station closed in 1951. The lighthouse was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1976. The Fresnel lens and the flag staff pole were removed many years ago to the Humboldt Bay Maritime Museum located near

Eureka, California Eureka (Wiyot: ''Jaroujiji'', Hupa: ''do'-wi-lotl-ding'', Karuk: ''uuth'') is the principal city and county seat of Humboldt County in the Redwood Empire region of California. The city is located on U.S. Route 101 on the shores of Humboldt ...

.Bureau of Land Management-Punta Gorda Lighthouse webpage.
accessed Feb.18, 2009 The Punta Gorda Light was known as the "Alcatraz of Lighthouses" because of its remote location and difficult access.

Keepers

;Head * Frederick A. Harrington (1911 – at least 1918) * James Dunn (at least 1919 – at least 1921) * Herbert H. Luff (at least 1926 – 1928) * Charles W. Lindley (1928 – 1939) * Perry S. Hunter (1939 – 1940) * Harmon A. Day (1940 – at least 1942) * Samuel “Hank” – Mostovoy (at least 1949 – 1951)Punta Gorda, CA
Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved 15 June 2016 * Benjamin McPherson Ficklin (1990–Present)

References

External links

* Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in California Transportation buildings and structures in Humboldt County, California Lighthouses completed in 1911 1911 establishments in California National Register of Historic Places in Humboldt County, California {{US-lighthouse-stub

History

Keepers

See also

References

External links