fleet.wikisort.org - Lighthouse

Trinidad Head Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse in Trinidad, California. It is 20 miles (32 km) north of Eureka, California, built in 1871.[4][5]

Trinidad Head Light

Trinidad Memorial Light (replica) in 2004
Location	Trinidad California United States
Coordinates	41°3′7.0″N 124°9′5.2″W
Tower
Constructed	1866 (first)
Foundation	stone basement
Construction	brick
Automated	1974
Height	25 feet (7.6 m)
Shape	square pyramidal tower
Operator	U.S. Bureau of Land Management[1][2]
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Fog signal	original: bell current: horn, 1 blast every 30s.
Light
First lit	1871 (current)
Focal height	196 feet (60 m)
Lens	Fourth order Fresnel lens (1898), 14.8 inches (375 mm) optic (current)
Range	14 nautical miles (26 km; 16 mi)
Characteristic	Oc W 4s.
Trinidad Head Light Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Nearest city	Trinidad, California
Area	20 acres (8.1 ha)
Architectural style	Lighthouse
MPS	Light Stations of California MPS
NRHP reference No.	91001098[3]
Added to NRHP	September 3, 1991

History

The low, square, brick tower, painted white, was built in 1871.[5] The light is only 20 feet (6.1 m) above ground, but the headland on which it stands gives it an elevation of 196 feet (60 m) above the sea.[4] Despite the great height above the sea, heavy seas have been known to reach it. A huge wave hit the lighthouse at about 4:40pm local time on the afternoon of 31 December 1913.[6] In 1914,[7] the keeper made the following report:

"At 4:40 p. m. I observed a sea of unusual height. When it struck the bluff the jar was very heavy. The lens immediately stopped revolving. The sea shot up the face of the bluff and over it, until the solid sea seemed to me to be on a level with where I stood in the lantern. The sea itself fell over onto the top of the bluff and struck the tower about on a level with the balcony. The whole point between the tower and the bluff was buried in water."[8]

The wave he described was the highest recorded wave on the coast.[9] After the sea struck the lighthouse and extinguished the light, service was restored in four hours by Lightkeeper F.L. Harrington, the keeper from 1888 to 1916.[9]

Buildings and structures

The station originally consisted of the small two-story light tower, a single Victorian residence, and a small barn. In 1898, a bell house was constructed, and a 4,000-pound (1,800 kg) bell was added that was operated by weights. A second keeper was assigned at that time, and the quarters were expanded to accommodate two families. In 1947, the fog signal changed to an air horn. In 1949, the Trinidad Civic Club constructed a facsimile of the tower in a park overlooking the harbor and installed the original lens in its structure as a memorial to those lost or buried at sea. The 4,000-pound bell is displayed alongside the tower. In the late 1960s, the Coast Guard razed the original dwelling and barn and constructed the present triplex. The fog signal was discontinued when the station was automated in 1974. Complaints from the citizens of Trinidad Head were so vocal that the Coast Guard installed the present ELG 300, operated by a fog detector. The new fog signal is operated in the original bell house. The original tower remains essentially unchanged.[5]

Head keepers

• Jeremiah Kiler (1871 – 1888)
• William A. Henderson (1888)
• Frederick L. Harrington (1888 – 1916)
• Josephine I. Harrington (1916)
• Edward Wiborg (1916 – at least 1930)
• Malcolm Cady (at least 1932 – 1940)
• Perry S. Hunter (1940 - at least 1946)[10]

National Register listing

The lighthouse was listed as Trinidad Head Light Station on the National Register of Historic Places on September 3, 1991, reference number 91001098. The 1900 fog-signal building is a contributing building, and the 1871 lighthouse tower is listed as a contributing structure. The 1969 keeper's building, which replaced the original keeper's residence, is non-contributing to the listing.

See also

Other historic lighthouses in Humboldt County:

• Punta Gorda Light
• Cape Mendocino Light
• Table Bluff Light

References

External links

---