Lighthouses of the Bay Area

by Betty S. Veronico

Overview

The 1848 discovery of gold in the hills of California brought prospectors and adventurers west; many came across the country on the treacherous western trails, while others came by sea. The rugged coast of California and the dangers of the San Francisco Bay waters claimed many ships and their passengers. The loss of these ships and the ever-increasing number of vessels converging in the San Francisco Bay made it evident that navigational aids were desperately needed. To enhance maritime safety in the region, the San Francisco Bay's first light, located on Alcatraz Island, began construction in 1852. Light stations soon followed at Fort Point, Point Bonita, and the Farallon Islands. An additional 15 lights later served the bay, and two lightships were stationed outside the Golden Gate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738559438
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	08/25/2008
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	14.62(w) x 10.88(h) x 0.31(d)

About the Author

Betty S. Veronico, a commercial property manager on the San Francisco peninsula, is the coauthor of Images of America: San Carlos. A member of the U.S. Lighthouse Society, she taps public and private photograph collections for this assortment of vintage lighthouse imagery. This collection tells the tale of these light stations from 1852 to the present, along with an overview of lighthouse technology.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     6
Introduction     7
Lighthouse Technology     9
Approach to the Bay: Point Reyes, Point Montara, Lightships, Farallon Islands, Mile Rock, Point Bonita, and Point Diablo     19
Inside the Bay: Fort Point, Lime Point, Alcatraz Island, and Angel Island     61
South Bay Sentinels: Oakland Harbor and Yerba Buena Island     91
Straits of the Bay: Southampton Shoal, East Brother Island, Mare Island, Carquinez Straits, and Roe Island     105