Point Conception Light

Infobox Lighthouse


caption = U.S. Coast Guard Archive
location = Point Conception, California
coordinates = coord|34|26|55|N|120|28|14|W|region:US_type:landmark
yearbuilt = 1856
yearlit = 1882 (current tower)
automated = 1973
yeardeactivated =
foundation = Stone
construction = Stucco, Wood and Brick
shape = Cylindrical tower behind building
marking = white with black lantern
height = 52 feet, 133 feet above sea level
currentlens =
lens = First order Fresnel lens
range = 20 nm
characteristic = white flash every 30 s. Emergency light of reduced intensity when main light is extinguished. HORN: 1 blast ev 30s (3s bl). Operates continuously.
admiralty = G3964
ARLHS = USA-620
USCG = 6-0200

Point Conception Light is a lighthouse on Point Conception at the west entrance of the Santa Barbara Channel, California. It is one of the earliest California lighthouses and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sailed along the California coast in search for glory and gold. On October 18 1542, he encountered heavy winds upon rounding the Point and was forced to turn back to San Miguel Island where he died. Second-in-command Bartolomé Ferrelo took charge and again tried to round the Point but he was also unsuccessful. The Point was named Punta de la Limpia Concepcion by Sebastián Vizcaíno in 1602, who was the next Spanish sailor to venture the Pacific waters along the California coast after Juan Cabrillo.

It was here at Point Conception in 1856, that the lighthouse was built high on the sandstone cliffs, above the location of the present lighthouse. The lens and steel tower for the lighthouse were made in France at a cost of $65,068 and was transported around Cape Horn. A report indicates that the lighthouse was severely damaged during the Fort Tejon earthquake of January 9 1867. The lighthouse was moved in 1881 because the fog would be less likely to obscure the light, and was rebuilt from the top of the bluff to a mesa halfway down, 133 feet above the Pacific Ocean. The light station was automated by the United States Coast Guard in 1973.

External links

* [http://www.cr.nps.gov/Maritime/light/ptconc.htm Inventory of Historic Light Stations - California Lighthouses - Point Conception Light]