NoeHill Travels in California
Photographs of Historic Sites and Points of Interest on the North Coast
National Register of Historic Places in Del Norte County
)
23 September 2010
(Click Photo to Zoom)
St. George Reef Light Station
Seal Rock Six Nautical Miles from Point St. George
Crescent City
Built 1882-1892
The following is excerpted from an interpretive placard on South Pebble Beach Drive between West 8th and West 9th Streets:
The silhouette seen in the notch formed by the bluff and the offshore rock identifies Saint George Reef
Lighthouse, one of the world's greatest lighthouses and a marvel of 19th century engineering. Located
approximately 8 miles from the point, it is situated at the end of Saint George Reef which extends 6 miles
from shore.
The history of the lighthouse actually begins with the sinking of the coastal steamer "Brother Jonathan"
on July 30, 1865. A tragedy that took hundreds of lives, the event is commemorated by the memorial graveyard and
interpretive area near the flag pole across the street from this site. The loss of "Brother Jonathan" resulted in action to
mark the dangerous reef, but construction did not begin until 1882. Requiring 10 years to build, the structure is composed of
thousands of tons of individually cut granite blocks, weighing up to 12 tons each, quarried and finished 80 miles south on
Humboldt Bay, then ferried to the site by steamer. Towering 15 stories above the sea when complete, the lighthouse was capped by a giant
first-order Fresnel lens. First light was on the evening of October 12, 1892. This is the most expensive U.S. lighthouse of the 19th century:
over $700,000. (More than the Statue of Liberty!)
Mariners and Keepers called it the "Rock" or "Dragon Rocks," by either name it was the most dangerous duty in the lighthouse service;
four keepers died there and many more were injured while attempting crew transfers. These hazards and advances in navigation technology caused
closure in May 10, 1975.
- Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City
- East Brother Light Station in Contra Costa County
- Fort Point Lighthouse in San Francisco
- Point Arena Light Station in Mendocino County
- Point Bonita Light Station in Marin County
- Point Cabrillo Light Station in Mendocino County
- Point Montara Light Station in San Mateo County
- Point Reyes Light Station in Marin County
- Pigeon Point Lighthouse in San Mateo County
- St. George Reef Light Station in Crescent City
- Yerba Buena Island Lighthouse in San Francisco