Historical Marker · No. 1035
Point Arena Light Station
Point Arena, Mendocino County · California
Erected by Native Sons of the Golden West, Grand Parlor; Broderick Parlor No. 117, 1985
No state plaque stands here. The Native Sons' 1985 bronze calls the tower stately; the Lighthouse Service wanted it to survive the next earthquake. The 1906 quake wrecked the 1870 brick tower and keepers' house, and the replacement went to a San Francisco firm that built factory chimneys. Its 115-foot tower of steel rods in concrete was California's first reinforced-concrete lighthouse when it lit in 1908. Beside the bronze lies a curved stone carved with the old tower's date and its engineer, Lt. Col. R. S. Williamson; a memorial to James Bird, 1921 to 2000, is set nearby.
What the plaque says
Point Arena Light House Erected 1870 Lt. Col. R. S. Williamson L. H. Engr. Point Arena Lighthouse This site and natural landmark has been a welcome guide to safe navigation for ships along the rugged Mendocino coast since 1870, destroyed by 1906 earthquake, two years later stately tower was erected. Dedicated by Grand Parlor Native Sons of Golden West Broderick Parlor No. 117 – Lighthouse Keepers February 16, 1985 William Bundesen, Grand President
Where it stands
38.95467, -123.74060 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Temple of Kwan Tai — 24 mi
- Mendocino Presbyterian Church — 24 mi