Pigeon Point Light Station or Pigeon Point 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 lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

built in 1871 to guide ships on the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

coast of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It is the tallest lighthouse (tied with

Point Arena Light Point Arena Light is a lighthouse in Mendocino County, California, United States, two miles (3 km) north of Point Arena, California. It is approximately north of San Francisco, in the Fort Point Group of lighthouses. The lighthouse featu ...

) on the West Coast of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is still an active

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...

aid to navigation. Pigeon Point Light Station is located on the coastal highway ( State Route 1), south of

Pescadero, California Pescadero (Spanish language, Spanish for "Fishmonger") is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in San Mateo County, California, two miles (3 km) east of State Route 1 (California), State Route 1 and Pescadero State Beach. ...

, between Santa Cruz and

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. The , white masonry tower, resembles the typical New England structure. The lighthouse and the land around have been preserved as Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park, a California

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

. The lighthouse is also listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, and designated as a

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

. The lighthouse is currently undergoing major renovations funded by the California state legislature in 2021. Research published 2022 by the San Mateo County Office of Sustainability found that the lighthouse was vulnerable to erosion caused by

sea level rise The sea level has been rising from the end of the last ice age, which was around 20,000 years ago. Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by , with an increase of per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had e ...

History

Pigeon Point Lighthouse is one of the most picturesque lighthouses on the Pacific coast. The tower stands on a rocky promontory and has long been a landmark for ships approaching

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) 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 cities of San Francisco, California, San ...

from the south. This headland, and the lighthouse, took its name from the ship ''Carrier Pigeon'' that wrecked here in 1853. The lantern room of the tower is no longer equipped with the original first-order, 1000-watt

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...

. No longer illuminated for demonstration purposes, the lens has 24 flash panels, is composed of 1008 hand-polished lenses and prisms and is capable of producing over 500,000 candlepower illumination. It was manufactured by the Henry-LePaute company in Paris, France, and was first lit at Pigeon Point at sunset on November 15, 1872. Originally the tower was equipped with a lamp that burned refined lard oil (pig fat). In 1888, that lamp was replaced with a mineral oil (

kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...

) lamp. To produce Pigeon Point's assigned characteristic of one white flash of light every ten seconds, the one ton lens rotated one time every four minutes. When observed from a distance, this resulted in the appearance of one white flash of light every ten seconds. The lens rotation was originally powered by a clockworks and weight. In 1926 the lighthouse was provided with electricity. Modern innovations were incorporated and the kerosene IOV lamp was replaced by a 1000 watt bulb, the clockworks by an electric motor and an electrically operated

fog signal A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. ...

was eventually installed. The lighthouse has been designated

number 930. In 1972, the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

mounted a

aerobeacon An aerobeacon is a light assembly used to create a fixed or flashing signal visible over long distances. It consists of a high intensity electric lamp mounted with a focusing device in a cylindrical housing, which usually is rotated on a vertical ...

on the front of the tower (now replaced by a smaller beacon) and officially retired the Fresnel lens from regular duty. The First order Fresnel lens is no longer lit to celebrate special occasions, such as the annual lighting of the lens, which usually occurred in mid-November (closest Saturday to November 15) the date of the original first lighting in 1872. The lens was removed from the top of the tower in November 2011, to now be displayed in the fog signal building, adjacent to the base of the lighthouse. The light outside the lens room, mounted on a small

verandah A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...

at the top of the tower, rotating with six beams, is still an active aid to navigation. The first order fresnel lens of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse originally came from the

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Cape Hatteras Light is a lighthouse located on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks in the town of Buxton, North Carolina and is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. It is the tallest lighthouse in the U.S. from base to tip at 210 feet. Th ...

, which has the same lens characteristic. Following the deactivation of the original tower in 1870, the lens, which had only been installed in 1863 was removed and put into storage. Shortly thereafter in 1871 it was shipped to the west coast to be installed in the new lighthouse.

Renovation

Pigeon Point Lighthouse With Scaffolding

The tower has been closed to tours since December 2001 because of the collapse of brickwork supporting outside access metal walkways on the top of the structure. Cast iron was used rather than steel. Cast iron absorbs water rather than repelling it like steel, thus the walkways are severely rusted, as are the major binding ring bands at the base of the tower. The California State Park system has promised repairs, but it is estimated that even if funds were available, it would be seven to ten years before the repairs would be completed. In July, 2010, Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) stated that of the $3.4 million she requested for her district through the ''Fiscal Year 2011 Interior and Environment Appropriations Act'', $250,000 will be allocated to restore the upper portion of the lighthouse. In 2021, an $18 million provision was made in the California state budget for the full restoration of the lighthouse. In December 2023, California State Parks said in a press release that a $16 million rehabilitation project will start in early 2024 and is expected to be completed within two years.

Contemporary uses

The restored lighthouse keepers' housing has, since the mid-1960s, also served as a

youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...

for travelers. The hostel is operated by HI USA, a nonprofit organization devoted to helping the young gain a greater understanding of the world and its people through hosteling. The Pigeon Point Lighthouse is also a logo of the

E. W. Scripps Company The E. W. Scripps Company, also known as Scripps, is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglom ...

Astrophotography

Pigeon Point Lighthouse has become a popular destination for astrophotographers due to its unique location and surrounding landscape. Pigeon Point Lighthouse's main advantage in astrophotography is its open coastal horizon, which provides an unobstructed view of the night sky. Combined with relatively stable atmospheric conditions and low levels of light pollution, this enhances the visibility of celestial objects and reduces distortion. The lighthouse itself is also a foreground element, blending the historical architecture with the astronomical scene to create visually striking compositions. Every year, many astronomy enthusiasts gather at Pigeon Point Lighthouse to witness celestial phenomena such as meteor showers, solar and lunar eclipses. They often record these scenes with cameras and post them on social media platforms. As a result, Pigeon Point Lighthouse is not only a famous landmark but also an important location for astrophotography.

Image gallery

File:44b-PIGEON POINT.jpg, Pigeon Point, c. 1870s, prior to construction File:USCGpigeonpoint.JPG, U.S. Coast Guard archive photo File:Pigeon Point Lighthouse circa 1950.jpg, Taken circa 1950 when fully operational including the Fresnel lens and fog signal File:Pigeon Point Light house.jpg, Pigeon Point Lighthouse with light on File:Pigeon Point Light Station Fresnel Lens.jpg, Pigeon Point Light Station: Inside View of the Fresnel Lens File:Pigeon Point Light Station Stairs in the Tower.jpg, Pigeon Point Light Station Stairs in the Tower File:Pigeon Point Lighthouse at Blue hour by Sutanu Mandal.jpg, Pigeon Point Lighthouse at blue hour File:Pigeon Point Lighthouse.jpg, On pacific coast in summer File:Pigeon Point Light Station.jpg, View of the lighthouse and surrounding rocks File:Pigeon Point Lighthouse and wildflowers.jpg, Pigeon Point Lighthouse with

wildflowers A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, rather than being intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is any different from the native plant, eve ...

(view from the South)

References

External links

Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park

Lighthouse Friends / Pigeon Point History

History and description of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse with pictures {{Authority control California State Historic Parks History of San Mateo County, California History of the San Francisco Bay Area Lighthouses completed in 1871 Lighthouses in the San Francisco Bay Area Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in San Mateo County, California Parks in San Mateo County, California Protected areas established in 2000 Transportation buildings and structures in San Mateo County, California