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Point Bonita is located at the northern entrance to the San
Francisco Bay. The orignal name was in fact "Point Boneta" -
a reference to the resemblance of the area hills to the hats
worn by Spanish religious officials. (Early lighthouse
plans are still labeled "Point Boneta.") In the early
1850's, when lighthouse construction began, there was still
no marker at Point Bonita. In 1853 the steamship
Tennessee ran aground just north of Point Bonita (at
what is now Tennessee Cove). The clipper ship San
Francisco struck the rocks of Point Bonita and sank in
1854.
In 1854, difficult work began on a lighthouse situated on the
highest hill in the area - 260 feet above sea level. The
point was very difficult to reach. The point was at the top
of 50-foot cliffs, and the breakers from the Pacific side of
the point are quite powerful. The first local contractor
backed out of the job. A second firm completed the task - a
California-cottage style dwelling, with a separate tower.
The 56-foot high tower housed a fixed second-order Fresnel
lens, the most powerful beacon of the San Francisco Bay. The
lamp was lit for the first time on May 2, 1855.
As with many lighthouses of the area, fog was a major
problem. High above the point, the lighthouse was often
obscured by high fog. A surplus cannon was acquired from the
Benicia Arsenal and a new keeper, Sgt. Edward Maloney, was
hired to fire the cannon as a fog signal. The assignment
proved very difficult, due to the frequency of fog in the
area. Maloney once fired the cannon for three days, resting
for only two hours. The
cannon was also difficult to hear, and gunpowder was
expensive. A fog bell with an automated clockwork was
finally installed in 1856.
Difficulties in sighting the original light led the
Lighthouse Service in the 1870's to move the light from the
top of the hill to Land's End - the far end of the point
itself. This is the most difficult area of Point Bonita to
traverse, due to its steep cliffs and narrow paths. Huge
breakers and rockslides were not uncommon. The first
difficult steps in building a new lighthouse involved simply
cutting a path to Land's End! A tunnel was cut through the
rock to allow more direct access to the point. A new fog
signal - a siren - was also built. The siren was washed into
the sea by a storm in 1874, shortly after it began operation.
The new lighthouse was completed in 1877. The black lantern
room and lens from the original tower were used, and the old
tower capped. The new building was a one-story building with
three rooms. The central room was built with heavy walls to
support the tower. The entire structure stood 33 feet high.
Near the turn of the century, a new fog signal building at
Land's End was built, and the Point Bonita Life-Saving
Station opened. There were three such stations south of the
mouth of the bay, but none on the north end. Boathouses were
built on the ocean side near Rodeo Lagoon, and in Bonita
Cove. The Life-Saving station would operate until about
1946, when the number of fast Coast Guard motor boats made
the number of Life-Saving stations in the area unnecessary.
The San Francisco Earthquake of April 18, 1906 did no damage
to the lighthouse, but toppled the old keeper's quarters of
1856. Lighthouse personnel noted that keeper Hermann Engel,
whose family lived in the old keeper's house, remained at his
post in the lighthouse during the quake. Other keepers
helped the Engel family from falling building. A worried
Engel was not informed until afterward that his family was
safe. Even the old 1855 tower survived
the quake. Up until this time, it still served as a useful
daymark. In 1907, however, the Army removed the original
tower. New residences were not built until 1908.
In the 1920's, Point Bonita's lamp was switched from a fixed
to an occulating lens. An eclipser was installed within the
lens which would block out the light at regular intervals.
In the early 1940's a particularly violent storm washed out
the narrow path between the lighthouse and the rest of Point
Bonita. A wooden causeway was built to bridge the gap. this
was replaced by a suspension bridge, which still stands. (At
present, park personnel stand at both ends of the ridge to
ensure that no more than five people are on the bridge at any
given time.)
In the 1960's, the Coat Guard closed the station to the
public. Compressed air horns had long replaced the old fog
signals. By 1979, Point Bonita was the last manned
lighthouse in California. The light was automated shortly
afterwards. The station, while still maintained by the
Coast Guard, was handed over to the National Parks Service as
Park of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area. The Parks
Service re-opened the station to visitors. The original
second-order Fresnel lens still graces the tower.
Guardians of the Golden Gate, Shanks pp. 64-103
Umbrella Guide to California Lighthouses, Nelson pp. 85-88
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