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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Near Big Sur in Monterey County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
 

Point Sur Light Station

 
 
Point Sur Light Station Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 4, 2013
1. Point Sur Light Station Marker
Inscription. Spanish explorers and later New England hide and tallow traders found the Big Sur coastline a great hazard. Heavy fogs and extreme winds caused the wreck of many vessels on this coast. The Gold Rush of 1849 dramatically increased coastal shipping. A lighthouse was clearly needed. President Andrew Johnson signed the executive order which reserved the site for lighthouse purposed in 1866. Construction began in 1887 and the lamp was lit on August 1, 1889.
 
Erected 1994 by State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Central Coast Lighthouse Keepers. (Marker Number 951.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the California Historical Landmarks, the Former U.S. Presidents: #17 Andrew Johnson, and the Lighthouses series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1849.
 
Location. 36° 18.349′ N, 121° 53.86′ W. Marker is near Big Sur, California, in Monterey County. Marker can be reached from Cabrillo Highway (California Route 1), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Big Sur CA 93920, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 3 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. End of an Era (approx.
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0.2 miles away); On Top of the Rock (approx. ¼ mile away); Cooper Cabin (approx. 2.8 miles away).
 
More about this marker. The Point Sur Light Station is approximately 20 miles south of Carmel and 5 miles north of Big Sur on the Cabrillo Highway. The Point Sur Light Station marker is at the base of Point Sur Rock. The lighthouse is closed to the public except for tour groups.
 
Also see . . .  History Of Point Sur. Click on the "History" tab.

Throughout history, Point Sur has been a navigational hazard, to which many shipwrecked captains can attest. In the 1880s, lighthouses and lightships provided invaluable warnings to the many ships that traveled close to shore, especially during rough weather when protruding headlands could provide them with much-needed shelter. It took mariners 11 years of petitioning the U.S. Lighthouse Service Board before money was allocated for Point Sur in 1886. (Submitted on September 13, 2013, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.) 
 
Point Sur Light Station Marker and National Register of Historic Places Plaque image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 4, 2013
2. Point Sur Light Station Marker and National Register of Historic Places Plaque
Point Sur Light Station image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 4, 2013
3. Point Sur Light Station
The marker is at the base of Point Sur Rock, to the left of the parked cars.
Point Sur Lighthouse image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 4, 2013
4. Point Sur Lighthouse
Point Sur Lighthouse image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 4, 2013
5. Point Sur Lighthouse
Lighthouse Stairs image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 4, 2013
6. Lighthouse Stairs
Point Sur Lighthouse Light (modern) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 4, 2013
7. Point Sur Lighthouse Light (modern)
The Big Sur Coast north of the Point Sur Lighthouse image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 4, 2013
8. The Big Sur Coast north of the Point Sur Lighthouse
View South of the Point Sur Lighthouse image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 4, 2013
9. View South of the Point Sur Lighthouse
Point Sur Light Station image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 4, 2013
10. Point Sur Light Station
Point Sur Light Station Water Tower image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 4, 2013
11. Point Sur Light Station Water Tower
Today the tank conceals a microwave relay station.
Assistant Lighthouse Keepers Quarters image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 4, 2013
12. Assistant Lighthouse Keepers Quarters
Three families lived here.
Senior Lighthouse Keeper's Quarters image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 4, 2013
13. Senior Lighthouse Keeper's Quarters
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 13, 2013, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 566 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. submitted on September 13, 2013, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024