Point Montara Light

Point Montara Light

Point Montara Lighthouse
Location Point Montara
Montara, California
United States
Coordinates 37°32′11″N 122°31′10″W / 37.536503°N 122.519311°W / 37.536503; -122.519311Coordinates: 37°32′11″N 122°31′10″W / 37.536503°N 122.519311°W / 37.536503; -122.519311
Year first constructed 1875 (fog signal station)
1900 (first)
1881 (second)
Year first lit 1928 (relocated)
Automated 1970
Foundation concrete basement
Construction steel tower
Tower shape tapered cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Height 30 feet (9.1 m)
Focal height 70 feet (21 m)
Original lens Fourth order Fresnel lens (1912)
Current lens FA 251 lens
Characteristic Fl W 5s.
Admiralty number G4010
ARLHS number USA-629
USCG number 6-0335
Managing agent Montara State Beach[1][2]

The Point Montara Light is a lighthouse in Montara, California, United States, on the southern approach to the San Francisco Bay, California approximately 25 miles south of San Francisco.

History

Point Montara Lighthouse was established in February 1875. It originally had a kerosene lantern, but was upgraded in 1912 to a fourth order Fresnel lens. The current tower was first erected in 1881 in Wellfleet, Massachusetts as the Mayo Beach Lighthouse. In 1925, the cast iron tower from the discontinued Mayo Beach Light was disassembled and moved to Yerba Buena. It was moved and rebuilt as the Point Montara Light station in 1928, where it stands today.[3] The lens was transferred to the San Mateo Historical Society when the lighthouse was automated in 1970, and is currently on display at the library at the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, California.

The lighthouse is open to the public, and is the site of a youth hostel sponsored by Hostelling International USA (part of Hostelling International).[4]

Undated USCG photo

The following was written prior to 1970: "Three men, including a First Class Boatswains Mate, as Officer-in-Charge, operate Point Montara Light, which provides a light and fog signal. This is a family station with quarters in a duplex constructed in 1961, which contains a 3 bedroom unit. A house built in 1863 provides quarters with a 2 bedroom and a separate relief keepers quarters. The station has no small boats assigned, but does have a pickup truck. Personnel and dependents at Point Montara utilize Government medical facilities, commissary and post exchange in the San Francisco area. The nearest school is within walking distance (1/4 mile) from the station."

In 2001 the lighthouse, specifically the hostel, was used in the film Bandits starring Bruce Willis, Cate Blanchett and Billy Bob Thornton. The location was converted into a small roadside inn. .

Marine Protected Areas

Montara State Marine Reserve & Pillar Point State Marine Conservation Area extend offshore from Montara. Like underwater parks, these marine protected areas help conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems.

See also

References

  1. Point Montara The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 13 June 2016
  2. California Historic Light Station Information & Photography United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 13 June 2016
  3. "Missing Cape Cod lighthouse located in Calif.". Associated Press. 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  4. Hostelling International USA - Point Montara Lighthouse
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Point Montara Lighthouse.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/15/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.