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Cresent City, California
All Photos © Tim N. Touchton
Each photograph
is available as an 8x10 for a cost of $ 12.00
plus $2.00 shipping. Check or money order only please.
On a sign in front of the lighthouse road.
Calif. State Landmark #951
Built 1856
This is an active lighthouse
and a private residence.
Open for visitors Wednesday
through Sunday, hours vary
April through September
Closed Monday + Tuesday.
NO RESTROOMS
NO DOGS
Land security is strictly
enforced at all times!
Enjoy your visit.
These photographs were taken on June 23, 2000. My son and I left San Francisco
the
previous day and visited Point Arena Lighthouse, Point Bonita Lighthouse and
Fort Point
Lighthouse on our way to Crescent City. I got some great photographs of Fort
Point
Lighthouse and we spent a great deal of time at the fort. It was extremely
windy and cold,
but well worth the time spent. We had a lot of fog at Point Bonita, along
with extremely
strong winds. Unfortunately we were not there during visiting hours and the
entrance was
locked on the tunnel to Point Bonita Lighthouse. We did visit the old fort
and my son
climbed down the rocks to the water along the road to the lighthouse. There
were many
sea lions along the shore and he got a close up view. Unfortunately I didn’t
want to climb
down with my photography and video equipment and missed a great opportunity
for
photographs. We got to Point Arena almost at dusk, so I only had a chance
for a few
photographs, which didn’t come out as well as I’d like. By the time
we got to Point
Cabrillo, it was dark and the park was closed. I really wanted to see the
Point Cabrillo
Lighthouse. I hate it when I possibly miss a once in a lifetime opportunity.
We stayed at a local hotel and spent over an hour at the Battery Point Lighthouse.
Luckily
for us it was low tide and the lighthouse was not surrounded by water. My
son climbed
out onto the rocks beside the lighthouse, despite the warning signs of the
danger in doing
that. As one wave came in, it found a “blow hole” and shot water
up into his face as he
walked along the rocks. It caught him totally by surprise since it was a very
large rock with
no signs of this happening. I took many photographs of this lighthouse, but
regret that I
did not take a close up of the lens itself. The lighthouse needs a little
work on the exterior,
but is in a beautiful setting with several great photography angles.
There is a sign close to the lighthouse, well actually a plaque dedicated
to the lost sailors of
the area. The sea is very rough in this area and many lives have been lost.
The stony beach
area around the lighthouse is great for exploring as long as you keep an eye
on the tide. I
also wished I could have had the chance for a night time shot of this lighthouse.
I’ve seen
some on the Internet and they are beautiful. Battery Point is located in Crescent
City, west on
Front Street and then take a left on A Street.
Information about the Battery Point Lighthouse:
Established: in 1856
Automated: in 1953
Tower height: 45 feet
Materials: wood, brick, granite
This little lighthouse, as with most lighthouses, has
a rich history. It was overcome by a
tidal wave in 1964, but survived. In the mid-1850's Crescent City was a large
hub for
lumber shipping and most ships were in danger of the rocky coast. The first
keeper
arrived on Christmas Day 1856, which gave the light's it's "official"
name as the "Christmas
Light". The first keeper was Theophilus Magruder and was replaced by
the second keeper,
Captain John Jeffrey and his wife Nellie in 1875. He remained the keeper for
39 years. The
lighthouse and keepers dwelling being surrounded by water most of time became
a problem for
the family and the children had to be rowed to shore to attend school. In
1879 a large wave
knocked over the kitchen wall and started a fire from a lighted stove. A second
wave smashed
over the island and put out the house fire. In 1964 a large tidal wave, caused
by an earthquake in
Alaska, hit the island. This would have destroyed the structures on the island
except for the fact that
it hit the island at such an angle that the dwelling and the lighthouse were
spared. However, Crescent
City was not as lucky and 29 blocks of the town were destroyed.
The island is only accessible at low tide and it currently
houses a Maritime Museum. The lighthouse
is said to be haunted and houses a resident ghost, seen by several people
over the years. The ghosts
feet can be heard slowly going up the tower steps during storms.
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