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In the 1850's, the settlement at Trinidad Bay served as
a starting point for those seeking their fortune in the
California gold fields. By the 1870's, Trinidad served
to transport lumber from the town's sawmills. In 1871,
a lighthouse was built on a bluff overlooking the bay.
The 25-foot brick tower housed a fourth-order Fresnel
lens, first lit on December 1, 1871. The light's focal plane
was 196 feet above sea level. A Victorian residence
was built about 50 yards from the tower. A fog signal
was established in 1898, and a second dwelling added.
The fog signal was a 4000-pound bell mounted on a platform below
the light tower. At one point the bell was so loud that its
vibrations shook apart the ringing mechanism, and the machinery
plunged into the sea!
Keeper F.L. Harrington was on duty when one of the largest waves
recorded struck Trinidad Head. Harrington recorded that he
observed waves crashing over nearby 103-foot Pilot Rock.
Shortly afterward, an enormous wave crashed into the bluff,
breaking the station's windows and damaging the mechanism that
rotated the light. The keeper quickly went to work restoring the
light, and it was operational within 30 minutes.
In 1947, a modern optic and air horn replaced the Fresnel lens and fog bell.
The Coast Guard replaced the keeper's residences by a triplex
in the late 1960's. Today, the station is automated. A replica
of the tower was built overlooking the bay by the Trinidad
Civic Club, which houses the original Fresnel lens. The bell
is displayed nearby.
According to the Spring 2003 Keeper's Log, a local branch of
the Yutok tribe has sued the town of Trinidad over ownership of
12 acres of land along the bluff, including
the memorial lighthouse grounds. They want the memorial light removed.
Umbrella Guide to California Lighthouses, Nelson pp. 163-164
California Lighthouses, Roberts and Jones pp. 14-15
The Keeper's Log, Speing 2003
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