Pt. Arena is a little over 30 air miles west of Ukiah, California and a lot over 30 miles if you drive! A masonry tower was erected on this beautiful coastal point in 1870, fitted with a first-order Fresnel lens. The earthquake of 1906 destroyed the lens and tower, which were replaced by the current 115 foot tower made of reinforced concrete. The still functional two-ton first-order lens shone from 1908 until 1977, when a modern rotating beacon was installed on the tower balcony.
The Coast Guard uses the property for a landing pad and refueling station for helicopters out of the Humboldt Bay and San Francisco Air Stations, and visitors can still climb to the top of the lighthouse as keepers have done for over a hundred years. www.pointarenalighthouse.com |
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