Point Bonita Light, California - # - Lighthouse Guy Photo's & Gifts

Lighthouse Guy Photo's & Gifts

Located at the northern entrance to the Golden Gate and San Francisco Bay, Point Bonita is one of the most spectacular lighthouse sites in the country. Although it is only 7 miles from the hustle and bustle of San Francisco it seems to be a world away and isolated. Originally the Light House Board planned to build a lighthouse at the southern entrance at Point Lobos, but local maritime interests petitioned for the light to be built upon Point Bonita. They contended that the light could be approached easier from the north since the water was deeper and it would be safer in rough conditions.

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In March 1853 Congress appropriated $25,000 to build a lighthouse on Point Bonita. $7,000 of these monies were used to purchase a 2nd Order Fresnel lens from Paris. A point 260 feet above sea level was chosen for the light, but this lofty elevation would cause trouble later as it was often shrouded in a high elevation fog.

In 1854 a contractor was hired to build the tower, however when he saw how difficult landing supplies would be he backed out of the agreement. A second firm was hired and they built a 56 foot conical brick tower and a one and a half story Keepers house.

Bad weather delayed the delivery of the 2nd Order lens for a month but it arrived in March of 1855. On May 2, 1855 the lens was lit by Keeper Edward Colson and the towers signal shone over the Golden Gate for the first time.

Since the tower was often obscured by fog in August 1855 a retired Army sergeant, Edward Maloney, was hired to fire a cannon as a fog signal at half hour intervals during foggy weather. This was the first fog signal on the west coast.

*Gargoyle drainspouts on the lantern room are a nice touch*
The tremendous amount of fog kept Sgt. Maloney up for days at a time with no relief. Eventually due to the problems with manning the cannon and the high cost of gunpowder, the cannon was replaced after a year with a 1,500 pound fog bell struck by clockwork machinery.

Due to the low pay and the isolation of the station it was difficult to maintain a Keeper at the Point Bonita Light Station. During a nine month period from 1855 to 1856 the light station had seven different keepers.

By the 1870’s the Light House Board realized that the fog obscured the light and it needed to be moved to a lower elevation. It was decided to build a tower at the tip of Point Bonita where there were steep cliffs and crumbling rock. A path was cut along the cliffs and a 118 foot tunnel was carved by hand through solid rock to reach the point.

A new 33 foot tower 124 feet above sea level was completed and went into operation on February 2, 1877. The lantern and lens from the old 1855 lighthouse were removed and placed on the new tower. The old tower was capped and left to serve as a daymark until it was demolished at the request of the Army in 1907.

In 1903 a new steam fog signal building was erected in front of the lighthouse. Pipes were run from the fog signal building through the lighthouse and connected to a smokestack behind the light so the smoke from the fog signal boilers would not obscure the light.

In March 1853 Congress appropriated $25,000 to build a lighthouse on Point Bonita. $7,000 of these monies were used to purchase a 2nd Order Fresnel lens from Paris. A point 260 feet above sea level was chosen for the light, but this lofty elevation would cause trouble later as it was often shrouded in a high elevation fog.