California Lighthouses ~ Lighthouse Inn at Pt. Cabrillo

 

The Point Cabrillo Light Station, Lighthouse, and Inn at Point Cabrillo are located just 2.5 miles north of the village of Mendocino, just off Highway 1.

 

Construction of the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse was authorized by congress in 1907, but actual construction did not begin until 1908, and was completed in 1909.  The original Third Order Fresnel lens, still an active federal aide to navigation, was lit for the first time on June 10, 1909, by the first Head Lightkeeper Wilhelm Baumgartner.

 

The Lighthouse was constructed to provide an "aide to navigation" protecting the many "dog hole" schooners that were plying the North Coast waters to pick  up lumber for the reconstruction of San Francisco after the 1906 earth quake.  The Lighthouse has served the coastal lumber, fishing, and maritime industry for almost 100 years, and was full restored, and was re-opened to the public in 2001.

 

The Lighthouse houses numerous unique historical displays and exhibits that link the Lighthouse and Light Station to the Lightkeeper's Museum (located nearby in a recently restored Assistant Lightkeeper's House).

 

Inn guests received a private night time tour of the Lighthouse, and Light Station visitors may view the Lighthouse's exhibits and display every day between 10:30 - 5:00 . Annually, the Point Cabrillo Lightkeepers Association (PCLK) and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary offer tours of the Lighthouse, Lantern Room and Lens, where visitors and guest may view the Third Order lens up close and venture out on the "cat walk" for a scenic view of the Mendocino Coast. The tour dates for 2007 are May 5th, June 9th, August 4th, and September 29th . For more information, please see www.pointcabrillo.org.

 

The focus of the Lighthouse's exhibits and displays include information, pictures, and histories of the first Lightkeepers and their families, early maritime pictures of "dog hole" schooners, ship wrecks, and associated pictures of early Mendocino timber and milling activities. There is also a Frolic exhibit, which depicts the story of an American-built, Boston Clipper that was built to run opium from India to China in the mid 1800s. The remains of the Frolic now lie in a cove only ¼ miles from the Lighthouse, where shards of Chinese pottery (its last cargo) still wash ashore.

 

We look forward to your stay in our Mendocino bed and breakfast and visit to the exhibits and displays in the Lighthouse and Lightkeeper's Musuem.