Downtown Juneau in Juneau Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
Point Retreat
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 3, 2021
1. Point Retreat Marker
The red-roofed, white buildings at Point Retreat are a familiar sight to local boaters and passengers on cruise ships sailing between Juneau and Glacier Bay. The original, wooden light tower at Point Retreat was only 6 feet tall, but it stood 19 feet above the water because of the slope of the site. South of the tower were two frame houses for keepers.
Around 1911, keepers were recalled and the beacon reduced to a minor light. But in 1923-24, a new, reinforced concrete lighthouse was completed which stands to this day. The light was upgraded to a fourth order Fresnel lens. Two new keepers houses also were built then.
The Coast Guard assigned six men to Point Retreat, and the commander could bring his family. After each year a man served at an Alaska lighthouse, he was entitled to 90 days' leave.
The Point Retreat lighthouse is owned by the Alaska Lighthouse Association of Juneau and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
At-a-glance box
• Location: north tip of Admiralty Island, 17 miles northwest of Juneau
• First lighted: Sept. 15, 1904
• Original Optics: fifth-order, fixed white light
• Automated: 1973
Captions (left to right)
• Keeper Charles E. McLeod with his 2-year-old son, Chuck at the light station in 1928. (US
this page online
• Point Retreat under construction. (US Coast Guard Photo)
• Aerial view of Point Retreat. (US Coast Guard Photo)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 15, 1904.
Location. 58° 17.91′ N, 134° 24.322′ W. Marker is in Juneau, Alaska, in Juneau Borough. It is in Downtown Juneau. Marker can be reached from Marine Way. Marker is on the Juneau Harbor boardwalk, south of Marine Park and across from the cruise ship berths. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 252 Marine Way, Juneau AK 99801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Lincoln Rock, Fairway Island & Point Sherman (here, next to this marker); Guard Islands (here, next to this marker); Tree Point (here, next to this marker); Mary Island (here, next to this marker); Cape Sarichef & Scotch Cap (here, next to this marker); Eldred Rock (here, next to this marker); Five Finger (here, next to this marker); Sentinel Island (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Juneau.
Also see . . .
1. Alaska Lighthouse Association. Details and pictures of the lighthouse's
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 3, 2021
2. Point Retreat Marker
2. Point Retreat Lighthouse. Comprehensive overview of the lighthouse's history, by Lighthousefriends.com. (Submitted on September 12, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
United States Coast Guard
3. Point Retreat Light Station
National Register of Historic Places Digital Archive on NPGallery website entry
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 5, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 12, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 218 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 12, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
