Preserving Our Maritime Past

Preserving Our Maritime Past. . The heyday of life-saving at Point Reyes is over, but this 1927 lifeboat station still stands alive with a history nearly lost along our coast. While the station preserves the last intact marine railway on the Pacific Coast, the history of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances bring this place to life. The wood and iron of the structure are nothing more than raw materials, but it is through their preservation that we may breathe life into our remarkable maritime past. , Bottom row of photographs, left to right: Full of Activity , The 1930s and 1940s were the most active years at the station. During this time the crew responded to many wrecks and stranded vessels. Activity peaked during World War II when the Palladini fish wharf (pictured next to the boathouse) was pressed into service as housing for the 50+ crew members. , Fading into Obsolescence , With advances in navigation and communication technology during World War II, the fully-staffed station saw less activity through the 1950s. As rescue calls decreased, a more efficient and modern station was planned for Bodega Bay, making the Point Reyes station obsolete. , Restoring our Past , Abandoned in 1968, the station slowly decayed. In 1990, the National Park Service performed a major restoration of the building. Today, the station preserves the last intact marine railway on the Pacific Coast and artifacts of a time gone by. Non-profit education groups use the station for seminars and study.