Lighthouse Keepers

Lighthouse Keepers. Alcatraz Landing. A Navigable Bay , During the Gold Rush, rock outcrops in San Francisco Bay posed hazardous obstacles for ships entering the harbor. To protect them, the government erected a lighthouse on Alcatraz, and hired lighthouse keepers to alert and guide mariners., Except for a short time during the American Indian Occupation, the Alcatraz Lighthouse has operated continuously for 150 years – despite traumatic changes including demolition, fire, and reconstruction., Keepers Perspective , In 1854, lighthouse keeper Michael Cassin lit Alcatraz’s whale oil lamp for the first time and inaugurated lighthouse services on the West Coast. Up to three families lived in close quarters to continuously maintain the lighthouse beacon. They became integral members of the surrounding island community., In the early years, long hours and low pay resulted in high turnover. Keepers came and went until the beacon became automated in 1963. No one had lived in the lighthouse since then., Shipwrecks , The moaning foghorns and blinking lighthouse on Alcatraz have become quintessential features of San Francisco Bay. Keepers prevented many ships from running aground., However, several ships did sink nearby, either lost in fog or caught unaware by one of the surrounding underwater rocks., "... is this the end of the world? ... Terrible seeing S.F. from here." , - Captain B.F. Leeds, Lighthouse Keeper, 1906 (Earthquake) Log Entry