Featured Lighthouse of the Month

Old Point Loma Lighthouse
I visited Point Loma Lighthouse in 1986 with my children; it was my first real lighthouse trip, and it is still my favorite lighthouse for a lot of reasons. From the top, you have wonderful views of the Pacific Ocean on one side, the San Diego Harbor on the other, and Mexico in the distance. In the winter you can watch the Gray Whale migration. You can visit tidepools on the beach, and walk around the coast line to see the remains of the old Fort Rosecrans coastal defense bunkers. There is more to do in the area than anyone could do in one trip. If you could only visit one lighthouse, this would be a great one to see. It was the end of July when we visited and as we drove up the road to Point Loma we discovered there was a bike race that day. We were in the middle of what seemed like hundreds of cyclists both going up to the point and coming back down as Old Point Loma was the turn around. A bit like being a goldfish caught among salmon going to spawn. To this day, when I say "remember Old Point Loma" we all have the same vivid images of bikes and of the Fort.	Copyright B. Graves
The Old Point Loma Lighthouse sits 422 ft above sea level on top of a peninsula, about 10 miles from San Diego. The lighthouse was built in 1855 in the Old Cape Cod Style with a 3rd order Fresnel lens. It was the highest lighthouse in the nation. The top of the peninsula was chosen for the location, in spite of the fog concern with the anticipation that it would serve two purposes. First, as a coastal light and second, it could be seen from the harbor. This plan would be a failure.
	This type of house was first used on the east coast and worked well for the environmental conditions there. There were about eight lighthouses built this way on the Pacific coast. The fog, however, on the Pacific coast is typically dense and low lying. The light would shine above the fog, and was not able to penetrate it. The beam was not always visible to ships caught below the fog.
The 40-foot tower is in the center of the keeper's house, with spiral stairs leading to the light. An excerpt from an article by George Worthylake in the Winter 1997 Keepers Log (a US Lighthouse Society publication) describes life at the light station. "The life of keepers at remote stations, like Point Loma, revolved around their families as well as their government duties. Point Loma had only one cistern for many years. Located in the basement, it was connected to the rain gutters along the edge of the roof. However, at 1,240 gallons it was too small to hold a year's supply of water, and on the west coast it only rains during the three or four winter months. When the station ran low of water, barrels had to be hauled from La Playa or from a well at the junction of what is now Rosecrans and Midway Streets. Of course the wagon had to navigate a road with pot holes, ruts, and a rather steep grade. The journey was seven to 10 miles. In 1883 a huge concrete catch basin, or apron, was constructed in front of the light station and two cisterns were added. By the 1870s, when the keeper had three children, his wife, a niece, the assistant keeper, and the assistant keeper's family residing in the quarters, it was obviously inadequate. In 1875 two rooms were made in a portion of the wood and oil house as quarters for the assistant. The shed was constructed of rough-cut lumber and lined inside with cloth and paper; it was not an ideal situation. Eventually, the inside walls were lined with tongue and groove boards. In 1886 the keeper fitted up a room in the wash house to accommodate the assistant's family. In 1875 a barn was constructed and in 1881 a boat house was built at Ballast Point to house the station boat that had been acquired in 1868."
	After 36 years of problems with fog and low clouds, the lighthouse board finally built a new lighthouse down on the coastline at the tip of the peninsula. It was only about 100 yards south of the Old lighthouse but the difference it made was important. The keeper moved his family out and Old Point Loma was decommissioned. No longer in use, Old Point Loma fell into a sad state of disrepair.
It was not until 1933 that it was stabilized by the National park Service. Point Loma was loved by the people in the area because of the wonderful view and has been everything from a tea room to a Navy signal tower during W.W. II. During the war, the tower was painted camouflage. The lighthouse was returned to the National Park Service again in 1946. In 1980, a third order Fresnel lens taken from Mile Rocks, just outside Golden Gate, was installed in the lighthouse. The location and transfer of the lens are thanks to Wayne Wheeler, founder of the United State Lighthouse Society who was in the Coast Guard at the time.
The lighthouse is the centerpiece of Cabrillo National Park. Juan Cabrillo was a Pacific coast explorer and an organization called the Order of Panama wanted to tear down the lighthouse and build a monument to him at Point Loma in 1913. As a result of their efforts, a Presidential Proclamation dedicated the land to be a National Monument. Thankfully, they lost interest and the land and the lighthouse fell under the control of the Army. Eventually Juan Cabrillo got his monument and we still have Old Point Loma. Sometimes things do work out.
Copyright B. Graves	Old Point Loma is now a wonderfully restored period museum. You can climb up the stairs and see the lens. You can walk on the trails that are all around the peninsula and see the remains of coastal defenses that were built to protect the approaches to San Diego Bay during two world wars. In the park you will find base end stations, fire control stations, search light bunkers, and a radio shack(not the electronics store). I remember walking around the dusty trails, overlooking the ocean and standing next to a bunker with bars on the window set in a thick steel door. Funny sometimes, the things you remember most.
They have Ranger-guided tours of the coastal defense remains that are available most Sunday afternoon's during the summer. A self guiding park brochure is available at the park for visitors who wish to explore the history of these defense sites on their own. The visitor center presents films and has exhibits on Cabrillo's voyage. There is a nominal fee to enter the park.
There are to many lighthouses in the area, depending on what you consider a good driving distance, for me to mention them all. If you get a chance to visit the area be sure to get a good book or map on lighthouse sites. I missed seeing so many when I visited because there was not as much information available as there is now. Links to Point Vicente and Los Angles Harbor are attached. Be sure to check them out.
There are quite a lot of panoramic web-sites that show what it looks like from the lighthouse. I have tried to include a few of them because there are no words that can do justice to what it felt like to sit there and watch the sunset. I still think lighthouses are so wonderful because they are in such great places. Old and New Point Loma Lighthouses are located off the south end of Cabrillo Memorial Drive (SR 209) on Point Loma. Directions: From Interstate 5 in San Diego, take Highway 209 South to the Cabrillo National Monument. The telephone number is (619) 557-5450. Hours: 9am - 5:15pm, with possible extended hours in summer. Mailing Address: Cabrillo National Monument PO Box 6670 San Diego, CA 92166-0670.