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1888 - Initial request for a lighthouse made. 1899 to 1907 - Eight ships crashed near Punta Gorda. 1908 - fog induced collision between the SS Columbia and the San Pedro on July 21st claiming 87 lives getting the attention of Congress to appropriate funds for the lighthouse. 1910 - Schooner arrived with materials to build the station. 1911 - Fog signal began operations on June 22nd. 1912 - Fourth-order lens with a flashing light was first exhibited on Jan 15th. 1951 - Due to the remote location and cost to maintain, a lighted buoy was placed offshore. The lighthouse lens was removed, and the station was boarded up. 1976 - Placed on the National Register of Historic Places. During the 1960s, a counter culture group took up residence in the dwellings and BLM decided to burn down all of the wooden structures. All that remains of the station are the concrete lighthouse and oil house. 1989 - The station received attention when the California Conservancy Corps restored and painted the structures. A defining feature of the northern California coast is a large bulge that protrudes out into the Pacific Ocean. Along this bulge, are two points, separated by roughly eleven miles, which extend farther west than any other points along the Golden State's lengthy shoreline. The northernmost of these points is Cape Mendocino, and the southernmost is Punta Gorda, Spanish for substantial point. As ships hugged the coast going north, it is understandable how several ran aground near the point. The station was far from civilization. It was an eleven-mile journey by horseback or wagon to the small town of Petrolia, and the trip was only possible when the weather and tides permitted. The first oil wells drilled in California that produced crude to be refined and sold commercially were near Petrolia, hence the name of the town. Like many other light stations along the California coast, Punta Gorda was used by the military during World Ward II. Several Coast Guard recruits were sent to patrol the beach around the station, greatly increasing the station's population. Travel Instructions: located roughly 7 miles southwest of Petrolia. From Petrolia, go west on Lighthouse Road until it ends. Park your vehicle, and hike roughly three miles south through loose sand to reach the lighthouse. Latitude: 40.2493 Longitude: -
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