History
Point Sur was a notorious hazard to navigation, and the site of many shipwrecks. After the sinking of the USS Ventura in 1875, it was determined that a lightstation was needed in this remote area.
Point Sur Lighthouse opened on August 1, 1889. This very remote station was required to be self-sufficient, as most supplies had to be brought in by ship. Lighthouse employees and their families had their own vegetable gardens. Children stayed with local ranchers during the week in order to attend school, returning home on weekends, or stayed with distant relatives. In 1927, a schoolteacher was assigned to the Lightstation to teach the six children who resided there. Easy access to the lightstation came in 1937, when Highway One through Big Sur was completed. In the 1940s, children from the Lightstation were assimilated into Big Sur's larger school.
The Lighthouse Service was absorbed into the Coast Guard in 1939, and Point Sur Lighthouse became the property of the Coast Guard. The Lightstation was automated in the late 1960s, and in 1974 ceased to have a light keeper.
The coast off Point Sur Lighthouse was the location of the sinking of the United States Navy airship USS Macon (ZRS-5) in 1935.
Point Sur State Historic Park was established in 1986.
Read more about this topic: Point Sur Lightstation State Historic Park
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