Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park Brochure

8/9/2019 Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park Brochure

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Point CabrilloLight Station

State Historic Park

© 2008 California State Parks Printed on Recycled Paper

Our MissionThe mission o the Cali ornia Department o Parks and Recreation is to provide or thehealth, inspiration and education o thepeople o Cali ornia by helping to preservethe state’s extraordinary biological diversity,protecting its most valued natural andcultural resources, and creating opportunities

or high-quality outdoor recreation.

Point Cabrillo Light StationState Historic Park

13800 Point Cabrillo DriveMendocino, CA 95460

(707) 937-5804

www.parks.ca.gov

Cali ornia State Parks supports equal access.Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities whoneed assistance should contact the park at(707) 937-5804. This publication is available inalternate ormats by contacting:

CALIFORNIA STATE PARKSP. O. Box 942896

Sacramento, CA 94296-0001For in ormation call: (800) 777-0369

(916) 653-6995, outside the U.S.711, TTY relay service

Discover the many states of California. TM

Northern harrier photo courtesy of Ron LeValley

P oint Cabrillo Light

Station has ensured

the safety of thousands

of ships traveling the

treacherous waters off

Point Cabrillo.



P oint CabrilloLight Station StateHistoric Park isa living link toCali ornia’s history,

eaturing a beauti ully

rehabilitated 1909lighthouse and 11other structures,including threelightkeepers’ homes.In a nearby cove restthe remains o the Frolic , the most importantGold Rush-era shipwreck in Cali ornia.

Located our miles north o Mendocino,

the park’s 296.5 acres o open space includean impressive variety o wildli e and hikingtrails.

PARK HISTORY

Native PeopleFor thousands o years, the rich waters andheadlands around Point Cabrillo were thesummer hunting and gathering grounds o

the Pomo people. The Pomo moved hererom their inland encampments in early

summer to harvest abalone, mussels, sealsand sea lions, deer, kelp and salt. These

oods were carried to their permanentvillages and stored or the winter.

In the late 1850s, settlers and lumbermenbegan using the lands or grazing andharvesting timber or railroad ties. As thein ux o settlers increased, the Pomo way o li e was orever altered.

Family of lightkeeper Albert Scott, ca.1911

Today Pomodescendantsoccupy parts o their ancestrallands and haverevived their

language andtraditions.

The Wreck ofthe Frolic

In 1850, the clipper brig Frolic , on its

way to San Francisco with a cargo o Chinesehousewares, struck a ree just north o whatlater became Point Cabrillo. A ter securingthe wrecked ship in what is now called FrolicCove, the captain and some o the crew tooklong boats to carry word o the wreck southto Fort Ross. In 1851, Harry Meiggs, a SanFrancisco lumber dealer, sent Jerome Fordnorth in hopes o salvaging cargo. By then,the ship had sunk, but not be ore the Pomohad removed Chinese ginger jars, bolts o silk, camphor, lacquered trunks, housewaresand other items. Ford ound Pomo women wearing splendid silk shawls, but there wasno cargo le t to salvage.

Ford told his employer about the lacko salvageable cargo, but noted that there were groves o redwood and Douglas fr inthe area. A year later, Meiggs had sawmillequipment shipped around Cape Horn and

erected a mill at Big River. This led to theounding o Mendocino and the beginning o the timber industry in Northern Cali ornia.Local mills supplied wood to help build San

Francisco and to construct the Point CabrilloLight Station.

The Light StationThe Point Cabrillo Light Station was built

ollowing the 1906 earthquake, which hadravaged San Francisco. The Light Station wasneeded to guide small “Doghole” schoonersthat plied the coastal waters, carrying lumber to rebuild San Francisco. The earthquakeseverely damaged the Point ArenaLighthouse, leaving no lighthouses betweenCape Mendocino and Bodega Bay.

Construction o the Point Cabrillo LightStation building began in 1908 and was

completed in early 1909. The Light Station,comprising 30.5 acres and 15 structures, wasmanaged by the U.S. Lighthouse Service.The Head Lightkeeper was in charge o theLight Station, overseeing the work o theFirst Assistant (the Wickie) and the Second Assistant (the Timer). Daily tasks includedmaintaining the Lighthouse lantern room,lens, kerosene oil lamp, clockworks, the other

14 buildings and the raised garden beds where ood was grown. The U.S. Coast Guard(USCG) assumed command o the PointCabrillo Light Station in 1939 and managed ituntil 1991.

Frolic Cove



The LensThe British-built Fresnel ( ra- nel ) lens —themost advanced example o lens technologyat the time — was frst lit on June 10, 1909,by Wilhelm Baumgartner, the frst HeadLightkeeper. The British-built lens, one o only twelve in the U.S., was manu acturedby Chance Brothers and shipped around theHorn. The lens has 90 glass prism pieces;the original lens was turned by a wind-upclockworks mechanism.

The oil lamp and clockworks werereplaced by electric lamps and motors in1934 and 1935, respectively. In 1972 an

automated beacon replaced the Fresnellens. Then, in 1999 the USCG allowedrelighting o the original Fresnel lens.Today’s lens is powered by a 1000-watt lamp,operational around the clock. On a clear night, the 10-second ash can be seen 14 to15 miles at sea.

Rehabilitation and RestorationThe Cali ornia Coastal Conservancysupported and unded the acquisition o the property in 1991. They provided grants,joined with private donations, to rehabilitatethe Lighthouse, its lens, the Blacksmith/

Volunteer with Fresnel lens today

Carpenter Shop and Oil House.Cali ornia State Parks acquired the LightStation and surrounding property in 2002.Rehabilitation o three lightkeepers’ housesand three other structures began in 2002.Rehabilitation o the Lighthouse and thegrounds has been overseen by the nonproft

Point Cabrillo Lightkeepers Association,by agreement with State Parks. The PointCabrillo Restoration Project received the2007 Governor’s Historic Preservation Awardand the Cali ornia Preservation Foundation’sPreservation Design Award.

With 12 o its original 15 buildings, PointCabrillo is one o the most complete LightStations in the U.S. Currently, our o itsbuildings are open to visitors, and the Inn isopen to registered guests.

NATURAL HISTORY The Light Station sits on the second o fvecoastal terraces that were pushed up romthe ocean oor by plate tectonics. Nativeplants have adapted to high winds, drenching winter rains, oggy summers and salt spray.

Native grasses are evident today, butare usually covered by plantedEuropean grasses. Look or more than f ty species o birds, including northernharriers, white-tailedkites, osprey, black oystercatchers andcormorants. From the blu tops, visitors maysee gray whales, orcas, humpbacks, dolphins,seals, sea lions, and, rarely, a blue whale.

EVENTS AND PROGRAMSThe Light Station hosts an annual WhaleFestival in March, our summer Lantern Room

Northern harrier

tours and guided site tours each Sunday.Contact the park or details at (707) 937-6122.

ACCESSIBLE FEATURESTwo parking lots near the Museum and Innare reserved or cars with disabled placardsor plates. The Visitor Center, Museum,

Blacksmith Shop/Marine Science Aquarium,and the frst oors o the Inn and theLighthouse are all accessible.

PLEASE REMEMBER Water Safety— Stay back rom the water’sedge to avoid large rogue waves and strongcurrents that can sweep people out to sea.• All of the park’s natural, underwater

and cultural eatures are protected bystate law and may not be disturbed or removed.

• Pets must be kept on a six-foot leash.• Driving off designated roads is not

permitted.• Bicyclists must stay on paved trails.• Fishing is not allowed within the park.

NEARBY STATE PARKS

• Mendocino Headlands SP, 725 E. Main St.,Mendocino, CA 95460 (707) 937-5804• Russian Gulch SP, 9500 N. Highway One,

Mendocino CA 95460 (707) 937-5804

This park receives support in part rom anonproft organization.

For more in ormation, contact

Point Cabrillo Lightkeepers AssociationPO Box 641, Mendocino, CA 95460

(707) 937-6122 www.pointcabrillo.org



Documents

Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park Brochure