Alcatraz Island
Cyberlights Lighthouses - Alcatraz Island  

Alcatraz Island Quick Facts

Year Station Established: 1854

Is the Light operational? Yes

Year Light First Lit: 1854

Year Automated: 1963

Shape: Octagonal Pyramidal

Tower Height: 84   ft.

Original Optic: 3rd Order, Fresnel

Present Optic: DCB-24

Existing Keepers Quarters? No



         Cyberlights Lighthouses

Alcatraz Island Lighthouse
San Francisco, CA

Cyberlights Lighthouses - Alcatraz Island Lighthouse

More Photos
(17 photos, 464KB total download)

Alcatraz Island Lighthouse Videos
  [Video]

Last Visited: May, 2003

History:
In 1852, the Gold Rush was a frenzy and ship traffic to San Francisco was steadily increasing. Alcatraz island, squarely in line with passage through the Golden Gate, was a logical place for a lighthouse. On June 1, 1854, the Alcatraz lighthouse began operations, and the Alcatraz light became the first one in operation on the Pacific Coast.

Over the years, the Alcatraz light was converted to from oil to kerosene and then to electricity. In 1909, the original lighthouse was replaced with the 84-foot concrete lighthouse seen today.

The lighthouse keepers lived in a home at its base and climbed the tall tower to clean the lens and keep the oil lamps full.

In 1963, shortly after the federal prison closed, the lighthouse was automated, and the last of the lightkeepers left the Island.

The lightkeepers' quarters were destroyed by fire in 1970. That was the only service interruption in the history of the Alcatraz lighthouse. The light continues to shine today under the supervision of the United States Coast Guard.

Source: http://www.alcatraz.us/alcatraz-virtual-tour/alcatraz-lighthouse.html

Hours:
There are daily boat tours out to Alcatraz Island. Tours generally last about two hours. For more information go to the Alcatraz website at http://www.alcatraz.us and click on Tours.

Personal Note:

Photo taken from US Navy ship, 1954


The link to the photo taken from 1954 was taken by my dad. He was in the air force, on a naval ship returning from Japan during the Korean War. He snapped this photo as they were entering San Francisco Bay. At the time he took this photo, Alcatraz was still an active federal prison!

Latitude/Longitude: 37.826582,-122.422847

Nearest Address: 39 Pier 39 Concourse San Francisco, CA

Directions:
  • Daily tour boats leave from Pier 41 at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.


Click for San Francisco, California Forecast

What's near here? Click to find out

Share


Visit Cyberlights Lighthouses
All pages and photos copyright © 1996-2024,
Gary P. Richardson and Anna P. Klein, unless otherwise noted.
No images or content on this site may be copied or reproduced without prior permission.

Visit Anna and Gary's Website at https://www.photosetc.net

Back to Top