In 1861, the captain of the Sea Nymph became confused in the fog. He thought he was turning into San Francisco Bay but plowed directly into the beach below Point Reyes. Six more ships were wrecked below Point Reyes before a deal was made for 83 acres of land in 1869.
The original plan for the lighthouse was for the traditional Cap Cod style dwelling with a tower located at the top of the point. It was decided that the fog was often too high and would obscure the light. The light was relocated 275 feet below out on the bluff. A light tower was built like the one at Cape Mendocino. Joseph Bien by his request, was paid 18 cents a pound for the thirty-seven foot tower. It was made out of forged iron plates bolted into the concrete. He installed an imported lighting apparatus. The first order Fresnel lens was lit for the first time on December 1, 1870.
One hundred feet below the light, a fog signal site was selected. On June 1871, a twelve-inch steam whistle was ready to open but there was not enough water in the cisterns to operate it. The building burned down in 1872 and was rebuilt. Once again, the fog signal failed to work due to lack of water. The cistern and catch basin were enlarged and a local rancher hauled over twenty thousand gallons of water to fill the cisterns. In 1887, the fog signal blew for over 2070 hours using over one hundred tons of coal. Coal was sent down to the signal via a chute.
Point Reyes was seldom a station of choice. Originally, there were 600 steps down from the living quarters to the light and an additional 300 more down to the fog signal. When the storms were at their worst, keepers often had to crawl on their hands and knees to get down the stairs. The nearest town was located over 20 miles away.
By 1934, the fog horn was located just below the light tower. 1938 saw the station switched to electrical operation. The Coast Guard took over operation in 1939. The station was fully automated in 1975. The light, fog signal and radio beacon were switched to a smaller more modern building. The original tower and fresnel lens were left intact. The Point Reyes National Seashore now maintain the lighthouse and open it for tours.
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