Like giant sentinels standing guard, California's lighthouses keep silent vigils over the turbulent waters of the Pacific.  In 1850, Congress appropriated funds to build eight lighthouses on the West Coast.  The first lighthouse to become operational on the West Coast was that on Alcatraz Island on June 1, 1854.  While the other seven were being completed, Congress authorized additional funds, and by 1930 California boasted 40 light stations.  This photographic history contains over 200 rare and beautiful images featuring lighthouses of the South Coast, San Francisco Bay, and the North Coast, as well as lightships and support facilities. Taken mostly before 1940, they depict an era when lighthouses provided a secure means of employment for the tenders who kept their lights burning to protect the continuous parade of ships plying the waters along California's rugged coastline.
Softcover, 6 x 9, 128 pgs.