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Anacapa Island marks the eastern end of the Channel
Islands, which form the southern boundary of the
Santa Barbara Channel. In 1853, the steamer
Winfield Scott, en route from San Francisco
to Panama, was wrecked on the island. Passengers,
many from the California gold fields,
scrambled to save both themselves and their gold.
Remarkably, no lives were lost. The passengers
were rescued after several weeks.
In 1854, a survey recognized the
need for a light at Anacapa Island, but believed
that it was impractical to build a lighthouse on
the rugged volcanic rock. The Lighthouse Board requested
funds for a light on the island in 1868, but a light
was eventually built in 1874 at
Point Hueneme instead.
As shipping traffic increased in the area, more ships
were lost. The Lighthouse Board estimated a station on
Anacapa Island would cost $100,000. Congress was unwilling
to appropriate funding, so in 1911, an unmanned acetylene
light was placed at the east end of Anacapa Island.
This proved insufficient, however - in 1921 the
Liebre ran aground directly below the acetylene light.
Construction of a lighthouse on site began in 1929. However,
the company first awarded the contract to construct the
light proved incapable of the job. A new contract was awarded,
and work began anew in 1930. Two derricks were constructed -
one 55 feet above sea level, the other at the top of the cliff.
The derricks served to transport materials to the island.
Materials were transported from the ship to the first platform,
and from the first platform to the second.
The 39-foot concrete tower housed a third-order Fresnel lens,
with a focal plane 277 feet above sea level. The light was finally
lit in 1932.
The station was also equipped with a fog signal - which unfortunately
was very similar in characteristic to nearby
Point Hueneme. The
SS Lightburne mistook the Point Hueneme signal for Anacapa
Island - fortunately the fog lifted in time for the ship to
avoid disaster. Shortly afterwards, the fog signal characteristic
was changed at
Point Hueneme.
Life on the high cliff could be hazardous. Simply arriving at the
island was no simple task - a small boat was hoisted by crane up
to the lower platform and placed in a cradle. A keeper lost his life
falling from one of the station's platforms in the 1930's. In 1934,
a keeper's wife was seriously injured in a fall. The station radioed
for help, and the battleship USS California responded. A boat from the
battleship took the woman to shore, where she was treated and recovered.
In 1962, the light was automated. The light is still operational,
but an aerobeacon has replaced the Fresnel lens. The National Park
Service manages the islands today.
Umbrella Guide to California Lighthouses, Nelson, pp. 45-47
California Lighthouse Life in the 1920s and 1930s, Wheeler, p. 15
California Light Stations and Other Aids to Navigation c.1950, Mattson and Thowy, p. 41
California Lighthouses, Roberts and Jones, p. 70
Keeper's Log, Summer 2002, pp. 2-6
Lighthouse Digest August 2005
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