Carquinez Strait Lighthouse is a lighthouse in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also 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 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. It was originally approximately 20 miles inland from the mouth of the San Francisco Bay near Vallejo,

History

The first lighthouse to mark the entrance to

Carquinez Strait The Carquinez Strait (; Spanish: ''Estrecho de Carquinez'') is a narrow tidal strait in Northern California. It is part of the tidal estuary of the Sacramento and the San Joaquin rivers as they drain into the San Francisco Bay. The strait is ...

and the Napa River, the

Mare Island Light Mare Island Lighthouse was a lighthouse in California, United States, on the north shore of San Pablo Bay at the entrance to Carquinez Strait, California. History Mare Island Light was built in 1873, deactivated in 1917, and demolished in the ...

was built at the southern end of

Mare Island Mare Island ( Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the ...

in 1873. The United States Lighthouse Board later realized that a light positioned offshore near the junction of the strait and river would better serve navigation in the area. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1951 and an automated beacon and fog signal were placed on the pier. After years of neglect, which included the smashing of the lens by vandals, the building was saved by investors who moved the residence to the Glen Cove Marina in

Vallejo, California Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California and the second largest city in the North Bay region of the Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the city had a population of 126,090 at the 2020 census. Vallejo is home to t ...

Historical information from Coast Guard web site

*The Lighthouse Board relayed to Congress the need for a lighthouse between the

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, California, San Jose, and Oakland, Ca ...

and the

Sacramento River The Sacramento River ( es, Río Sacramento) is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento–S ...

. On January 15, 1910, the Carquinez Strait Light was lit. *The lighthouse stood at the end of a 1.5-mile pier and was attached to a three-story residence. *While in operation this site was used to test the vertical mushroom trumpet fog signals. *The lighthouse was deactivated in 1951. An automated beacon and fog signal were placed on the pier at that time. *After years of neglect, which included the smashing of the lens by vandals, the building was saved by investors who moved the residence to the Glen Cove Marina in Vallejo, California. *The residence, without the tower, is used as the marina office and yacht sales showroom.

Additional information

Taken from a December 1966 USCG press release: Carquinez Strait Light Station is an automatic light station located at Vallejo, California between Suisun Bay and

San Pablo Bay San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in the East Bay and North Bay regions of the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California. Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep water c ...

. It was first placed into operation on January 15, 1910. The original structure, a 28-room light house weighing 150 tons, was used until abandoned by the Coast Guard in 1951. New family quarters were constructed on top of the bluff overlooking San Pablo Bay and the entrances to Carquinez Strait and Mare Island Strait. On August 6, 1955, the original structure was taken off its pilings and put aboard a barge. It was then successfully towed two miles to its new location at Elliott Cove and converted into a resort. The new buildings were constructed in 1951 on top of the bluff The main family dwelling consisted of two 3~bedroom and two 2 bedrooms. The men assigned maintained and operated the light at the end of the breakwater and an automatic fog signal. In addition, the unit was responsible for providing emergency repairs on five aids to navigation in the vicinity of the station. A 24-hour lookout was maintained. On June 3, 1963, the Coast Guard personnel were transferred from the station and the light and fog signal were automated.California Historic Light Station Information & Photography
United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 9 June 2016

References

External links

* * {{authority control Lighthouses in the San Francisco Bay Area Carquinez Strait History of Solano County, California Transportation buildings and structures in Solano County, California Lighthouses completed in 1910 1910 establishments in California

History

Historical information from Coast Guard web site

Additional information

See also

References

External links