Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park

Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park. A Rich and Colorful History. Pre-1800s: Ohlone Indians inhabit the coast , Early 1800s: Spanish name Punta de las Balenas - Whale Point , 1850s: Clipper ship Carrier Pigeon wrecks on the rocks that are thereafter called Pigeon Point , 1860: Boom and cable rigged to load lumber and crops onto ships , 1862: Loren Coburn and Jeremiah Clarke purchase 17,000 acres that include Pigeon Point , 1850s-1895: Portuguese shore whalers kill whales to render and sell whale oil , 1868: Congress appropriates $90,000 to establish a lighthouse and prevent more shipwrecks , Early 1870s: Wharf and grain chute built and Pigeon Landing ships goods to San Francisco , 1870: U.S. Government purchases Pigeon Point from Coburn and Clarke , 1872: Lighthouse erected, first illuminated on November 15, 1872 , 1875: Gunfight and murder at Pigeon Point Landing over access to the wharf , 1899: Original fog signal building replaced with present signal house , 1920-33 Rum-running during Prohibition , 1972: U.S. Coast Guard replaces the original Fresnel lens with and automated Aero Beacon , 1980: U.S. Coast Guard leases Pigeon Point property to California State Parks , 1992-93 U.S. Coast Guard renovates the lighthouse , 2000: POST purchases Whaler's Cove , 2005: Lighthouse transferred to State Parks from U.S. Coast Guard , 2005: POST transfers Whaler's Cove to California State Parks for permanent protection. , Natural Wonders . , From the bluffs of Whaler's Cove you see glistening ocean views from Año Nuevo north to Montara Mountain. Harbor seals swim in the cove and sun themselves on Prisoner Rock. Further out you may spot gray whales, blue whales and humpbacks on their winter and spring migrations. Many species of birds are either residents or seasonal visitors. A trip down the sandstone cliffs to the beach reveals the Pigeon Point Formation, which looks like a layer of different types of rocks cemented into the sandstone. The native plants that thrive here add color to the scene while providing food and shelter for local wildlife.