Save the Date: Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel 25th anniversary celebration

July 2, 2007

Mark your calendar for Saturday, September 8, and join us for a big 25th anniversary celebration at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel!

In cooperation with California State Parks, the Golden Gate Council of Hostelling International USA is hosting a free festival for all ages, with performances by the Banana Slug String Band and the 15-piece San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers, professional kite flying, interpretive exhibits and guided history tours, and more! Stay tuned for details.

Perched on a cliff on the central California coast, 50 miles south of San Francisco, the 115-foot Pigeon Point Lighthouse has guided mariners since 1872. The Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel provides comfortable, affordable accommodations in the restored lighthouse keeper’s quarters. Guests can opt for shared or private rooms, and also enjoy cozy lounges, fully equipped kitchens, and amenities including satellite Internet, free WiFi, and free parking.

The Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel is a popular spot for whale watching, and a convenient base for exploring nearby coastside communities as well as the ancient redwood forests at Butano State Park, the bird sanctuary of Pescadero Marsh, and Ano Nuevo State Reserve, breeding site of northern elephant seals.

History of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse
The latter half of the 19th century was an historic period in California: Gold was discovered in 1848 and the state was admitted to the Republic in 1850. New settlers arrived, and ship traffic increased greatly since transporting cargo from the East Coast was a lucrative business.

On January 28, 1853, the clipper ship Carrier Pigeon set sail from Boston for San Francisco, carrying 1,300 tons of cargo. On June 6, 1853, she ran aground near what was then called La Punta de la Ballena (Whale Point). Although the ship was wrecked, the crew was saved. Before long, the point of land was renamed Pigeon Point in memory of the Carrier Pigeon.

Constructed of unreinforced brick, the lighthouse is the second tallest on the West Coast. The original first-order Fresnel lens (the largest size) is still in place in the tower. Invented by the Frenchman Augustine Fresnel, the lens consists of 1,008 glass prisms enclosing a light source. The prisms concentrate the light, allowing a low-intensity light source to project a strong beam over a great distance.

Initially, the lamp inside the lens was a series of concentric wicks fueled by lard oil, giving off a light measured between 60,000 and 80,000 candlepower. Later a kerosene lamp was substituted, and then a lamp which used vaporized oil, providing yet a stronger beam. Finally, in the late 1920s, Pigeon Point switched to a 1,000-watt electric light bulb, increasing the light to 680,000 candlepower (visible for more than 20 miles).

Each lighthouse has its own distinctive light pattern which makes it identifiable to passing ships. Ship captains carry a "light list" of the various patterns, and thus can use the signal to help determine their location. As the Pigeon Point lighthouse’s Fresnel lens rotated around the light source, it produced a flash pattern of light every 10 seconds. An automated Aero beacon was installed in 1972, but the 10-second light pattern is still maintained today.

The present Fog Signal Building, built in 1899, originally housed a steam-generated foghorn which was fired up when the fog rolled in. The foghorn was disconnected in 1976.