B08_Attach_7_PGLSR_Historic_Structure_Report_(HSR).pdf

Bureau of Land Management U.S. Department of Interior

Arcata Field Office

The History and Architecture of the

Punta Gorda Light Station, King Range National Conservation Area, Humboldt County, California

The History and Architecture of the

Punta Gorda Light Station, King Range National Conservation Area, Humboldt County, California

Prepared by Sharyl Kinnear-Ferris, M.A.

February 2020

Bureau of Land Management

Arcata Field Office

1695 Heindon Road

Arcata, CA 95521

Refer to: BLM NEPA # DOI-BLM-CA-N030-2017-0015-EA i

Contents

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ..........................................................................................................ii

INTRODUCTION

Management and Use of the Punta Gorda Light Station Structures

Purpose of the Condition Assessment and Historic Structures Report

Curation and Archival of Materials

HISTORY OF PUNTA GORDA LIGHT STATION

Events leading to the need of the Punta Gorda Light Station

Construction of the Punta Gorda Light Station

Operation of the Punta Gorda Light Station 1911-1953

The Keepers of the Light

Punta Gorda Light Station under BLM Management, post-1953

History of Stabilization

Punta Gorda’s NRHP Evaluation

Architectural Analysis and Condition Assessment

Condition Assessment

RECOMMENDATIONS

DRAWINGS AND PHOTOS

APPENDIX A:

ii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Map depicting location of the Punta Gorda Light Station within the state of California

Figure 2. Map depicting location of the Punta Gorda Light Station within the King Range NCA

Figure 3. Stabilization work at the Punta Gorda Light Station in 2005

Figure 4. Map showing location and relationship of Cape Mendocino and Punta Gorda

Figure 5. Architectural drawing of the Punta Gorda Light Station dated May 4, 1909

Figure 6. Punta Gorda reservation map, showing fog signal and light station as a single building

Figure 7. Punta Gorda reservation map, showing fog signal and light station as separate buildings

Figure 8. Punta Gorda lighthouse under construction, ca. 1910-12

Figure 9. View of the Lighthouse Keeper’s quarters, taken in 1912, soon after construction

Figure 10. Principal Lighthouse Keeper Harrington and First Assistant Lighthouse Keeper Hunter

Figure 11. Unimproved route leaving Punta Gorda, post WWII

Figure 12. Graph showing lighthouse construction styles nationwide (Clifford 1994)

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Condition Assessment at the Punta Gorda Light Station

INTRODUCTION

This historic structure report is preparatory to stabilization work being completed at the Punta Gorda

Light Station in northern California (CA) (Figure 1). Punta Gorda is a Spanish phrase; the word Punta translates from the Spanish language to the English language as “Tip or Point” and the word Gorda translates as “Large or Massive”. This descriptive name was applied to a promontory extending from the northern California coastline by Bruno de Hezeta, a Spanish Basque explorer, in June 1775. Hezeta, in the frigate Santiago, was accompanied by the schooner, the Sonora, captained by Juan Francisco de la

Bodega Y Quadra. The two explorers were on an expedition from San Blas, Mexico northward to learn more about the North American western coastline.

Hezeta’s map is of such a scale that confusion exists as to his exact, intended location for Punta Gorda.

Some speculate he was referring to the area of Table Bluff near Loleta, CA. Later maps created by

Hezeta, at a different scale, suggested he was naming a cape that is now known as False Cape, near the area known as Capetown, CA. In 1854, the U.S. Coast Survey applied the name Point Gorda to a cape that was identified on some maps as Cabo Vizcaino. By 1870, the U.S. Coast Survey restored the Spanish version of the name by labeling the cape as Punta Gorda (Turner 1993:176).

Cape Mendocino, located between Punta Gorda and False Cape, was named thus in 1543 by Bartolomeo

Ferrolo, the pilot sailing with Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, in honor of the first Viceroy of

New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza (Carpenter and Millberry 1914). This headland is the westernmost point along the California coastline, and was a navigational landmark and turning point for ships traveling north and south. A lighthouse was built at Cape Mendocino in 1868 and was decommissioned in 1951. A rotating aerobeacon was placed in the lighthouse tower and remained there until 1971 when it was removed from the tower and placed on a pole upslope from the lighthouse. The lighthouse was carefully deconstructed, re-located, and restored in 1999 for display at Mal Coombs park in Shelter

Cove, CA, which is a small discontiguous parcel of the King Range NCA (www.lighthousefriends.com).

The lighthouse is managed by the Cape Mendocino Lighthouse Preservation Society and open to the visiting public during the summer months.

Prior to the Spanish explorations and surveys, this land was home to the Mattole people. Several archaeological sites have been documented in the Punta Gorda area that testify to the use of the area for subsistence. With the advent of Spanish exploration, then European-American migration into the region in pursuit of gold mining, as well as ranching and timber activity, the Mattole people were eventually driven from this land base.

The current land status is public land, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This section of coastline falls within the boundaries of the King Range National Conservation Area (King Range) wilderness and is accessed by hiking on the Lost Coast Trail (Figure 2). Even though the Punta Gorda headland is along a remote stretch of California coastline, visitation to this stretch of the Lost Coast has rocketed in the past decade. A quick look on the internet indicates that information about Punta Gorda and the Lost Coast is being generated and shared widely.

At one point in history, this stretch of coastline was known to be hazardous with frequent shipwrecks.

To reduce this hazard and provide maritime transportation support, a little over 100 years ago an operational light station and associated facilities (i.e. oil house, fog-signal building, blacksmith and carpenter shop, three lighthouse keepers’ homes, three fuel and storage sheds, and a barn) were built.

Construction of these buildings began in 1910. The fog-signal went into operation in 1911, and the light station began operating in 1912. The light station was placed out of service in 1951. In 1963, the U.S.

Coast Guard transferred the property to the BLM. Today, the light station and oil house are all that remain of an important marine navigational installation. These facilities are located along a popular hiking trail and are visited routinely by recreationists.

The remaining structures (light station and oil house) were nominated to the National Register of

Historic Places (NRHP) under the significance themes of communications and transportation during the period of 1910-1951. As per the National Register guidelines, a theme is a way to organize properties by pattern that incorporates the environment, social groups, transportation networks, technology, or political developments that influenced the development of the property. The guidelines go on to state:

“A theme is considered significant if it can be demonstrated, through scholarly research, to be important in American history”. The site was listed on the NRHP on September 2, 1976 (see NRHP nomination form; Appendix A).

Figure 1. Map depicting location of the Punta Gorda Light Station within the state of California.

Figure 2. Map depicting location of the Punta Gorda Light Station within the King Range NCA, which is shaded yellow.

Management and Use of the Punta Gorda Light Station Structures

From the time that the property was transferred to the BLM, the agency recognized that the Punta

Gorda Light Station is a significant historic resource and a popular recreation and interpretive site. It is a destination for day use hikers, Mattole Beach Campground campers, and Lost Coast Trail backpackers.

Early BLM interviews with the local media indicate that BLM intended the site for recreational purposes.

John Lanz, former Ukiah District Manager, is quoted in the 4/5/1970 San Francisco Examiner and

Chronicle (Belcher 1970) that BLM hopes to “make the tower the focal point of a small campground, an isolated get away from it all…”.

During the first few decades of the light station being managed under public ownership, BLM maintained the structures for use by the visiting public. Sadly, for those who wish to preserve historic heritage sites, the majority of the light station complex structures were destroyed in 1970 to prevent squatters from living there. The focus of management since then has been to maintain the structural integrity of the remaining light station and oil house (Figure 3).

The King Range Approved Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision (May 2005) includes

Section 4.5 pertaining to Cultural and Historic Resources. The plan states that King Range contains a substantial number of significant pre-Contact archaeological sites and historic resources. Management goals include (1) protection of resources from deterioration and damage and (2) instilling a greater public appreciation of these resources through education and outreach. Specific management actions identified in the plan include proactive management and monitoring of resources; Native American consultation and involvement; site stabilization, protection, and evaluation; and nominating significant properties to the National Register of Historic Places. In the plan’s section 4.5.3 Cultural Resources and

Multiple Use Management, there is a listed management action pertinent to this report of:

CUL 2.1.1: Complete stabilization projects for important historic structures, such as the Punta Gorda Lighthouse and the historic Russell Chambers Sheep

Ranching Complex, and develop maintenance and implement schedules for their preservation.

Figure 3. Stabilization work at the Punta Gorda Light Station in 2005.

In 2006, the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act designated 68,000 acres of wilderness in the King Range, including the Punta Gorda area. The King Range Wilderness & Rocks and

Islands Wilderness Management Plan (March 2012) includes Cultural Action 1.5: stabilize and maintain the Punta Gorda Lighthouse and Oil House within wilderness in a manner that allows safe public access and protects the historic integrity of the NRHP registered site. Further analysis is found in this document in the form of a minimum tool analysis. The conclusion and determination of minimum activity is:

Motorized vehicles would be necessary to transport materials and equipment needed to stabilize the Punta Gorda lighthouse. BLM would schedule maintenance activities and identify access routes to minimize impacts to wilderness visitors and other sensitive resources.

Additional planning in compliance with the National Environmental and Preservation Act (NEPA) and

Section 106 of National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) for preservation work at Punta Gorda was accomplished through a Categorical Exclusion in 1989 (AR-89-09) and Environmental Assessments in

1996 and 2017. During these various planning efforts that examined stabilization options of the Punta

Gorda Light Station and oil house, there were no issues or concerns identified by public users and stakeholders, nor were any issues or concerns raised by the tribe whose ancestral territory encompasses the Punta Gorda area. In sum, BLM has undergone the extensive NEPA analysis and planning that is also in compliance with the NHPA that provides the framework for preservation activity at this important historic maritime navigation site.

Purpose of the Condition Assessment and Historic Structures Report

This Historic Structures Report for the Punta Gorda Light Station is meant to provide a baseline summary of knowledge in the form of a cultural-historical overview and an assessment guide to preservation and maintenance work. This report gathers historic information based on a thorough search of historic records and incorporates historic photos and architectural drawings. The report also summarizes past preservation work at the site. Should it be necessary, this report will provide background information for any consultations between the BLM and the California State Office of Historic Preservation under

Section 106 of the NHPA. The report conforms to the guidelines presented in the Historic Lighthouse

Preservation Handbook (1997) and Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic

Properties (1995).

Curation and Archival of Materials

All known objects, documents, records, and photographs concerning past activity at the Punta Gorda property used in the preparation of this report are housed at the BLM Arcata Field Office, 1695 Heindon

Road, Arcata, CA. Additional historic documents are also found at the Mattole Historical Society office, Petrolia, CA and at the Humboldt Room at Humboldt State University and Humboldt Public Library.

HISTORY OF PUNTA GORDA LIGHT STATION

A variety of historic records were consulted in order to piece together the sequence of events beginning with the perceived need, construction, and operation of the Punta Gorda Light Station (see References section). Reports have been filed by various agencies as oversight of American light stations has changed over time. The following timeline provides an overview of light station management.

1789 Congress acted to place management of the existing twelve lighthouses under Federal authority, specifically establishing a Lighthouse Service under the Secretary of the

Treasury.

1792-1820 Management of lighthouses bounced back and forth between the Secretary of the

Treasury and the Commissioner of Revenue. By 1820, the Lighthouse Service was again under the Secretary of the Treasury.

1852 The U.S. Light-House Board was created; it was composed of knowledgeable experts, dominated by naval and army engineers who were tasked with the upgrading, building, and repair of light stations. The Secretary of the Treasury was appointed as president of the Board, but a chairman was also selected. Twelve districts were created across the country (once established, Punta Gorda Light Station would be in District 12).

1886 Congress authorized an increase in lighthouse districts for a total of sixteen.

1903 The Light-House Board was transferred to the newly created Department of Commerce.

1910 The Bureau of Lighthouses was established under an administrator, called the

Commissioner of Lighthouses. The military presence was reduced and civilian personnel managed the nearly 4,000 light aids. Lighthouse districts were rearranged and increased from sixteen to nineteen. Each District was assigned an Inspector who reported to the Commissioner of Lighthouses. The Inspector supervised a staff of assistants, clerks, and engineers. The Punta Gorda Light Station was removed from the twelfth district and placed under the management of the eighteenth district.

1913 The Bureau of Lighthouses stayed with the Department of Commerce when it separated from the Department of Labor.

1939 The Bureau of Lighthouses was abolished and the United States Coast Guard was established. To this day, the Coast Guard continues to manage about 35,000 marine navigation aids, including light, sound, daymarks, LORAN, and OMEGA stations, and buoys. Additionally, there are about 50,000 privately managed navigational aids

(uslhs.org/resources/preservation-management).

Events leading to the need of the Punta Gorda Light Station

When looking at a “birds eye view” of the northern California coastline, one sees a major protruding landform extending further west than any other section of the coastline. Two major points on this landform have been labeled as Cape Mendocino and Punta Gorda (Figure 4). Cape Mendocino is the furthest western point along the California coastline.

Figure 4. Map showing location and relationship of Cape Mendocino and Punta Gorda along the northern CA coast.

This area is known for its routine, often catastrophic, seismic activity; high amounts of precipitation resulting in unstable slopes and resultant landslides; and numerous rocks located offshore. In 1888, the

United States (U.S.) Light-House Board noted that along this area of northern California coastline, there

“are several dangerous sunken rocks off the shore that add to the hazards of navigation….[and] the overhanging mountains keep the shore-line in dark shadow and confuse the best navigator as to his distance from shore….”. The account goes on to say it is impossible to make out the high rounding point from either the south or north. As well, little was known of the coastal currents, all of which made for very dangerous travel in the area (U.S. Light-House Board 1888:146).

Between the years of 1899 and 1907, eight ships either sunk or were stranded along the Punta Gorda section of California coastline (Shanks and Shanks 1978:109). The Light-House Board had anticipated these types of disasters and had been urging Congress since 1888 to establish a lighthouse on the Punta

Gorda headland (Light-House Board reports to the Secretary of the Treasury 1888-1907).

It was the sinking of the passenger and cargo ship SS Columbia in 1907 that triggered Congress to act.

The Columbia was constructed in 1880 for the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company and ran regular trips between Portland and San Francisco. What was unique about this vessel is that it carried a dynamo to power electric lights, the first use of electricity outside of Thomas Edison’s laboratory. This unique use of electricity led to a feature article about the Columbia in the May 1880 issue of Scientific American

(Jehl 2002). On July 21, 1907, the SS Columbia (transporting 251 passengers) struck a lumber ship, the

San Pedro; the Columbia’s four watertight bulkheads didn’t keep the ship afloat. It is said that eighty-seven lives were lost (some accounts say 77 lives lost, others say 88 lives were lost). The San Pedro was carrying a load of redwood in its hull, and this type of cargo kept the ship afloat after the collision

(Dalton 2011). A steamer that was also traveling in the area, the George W. Elder, assisted survivors and towed the damaged San Pedro to shore. The marooned Columbia boiler and bulkhead have been visible at times on the beach along the Lost Coast Trail. After that accident, Congress acted on the Light-House

Board’s recommendation.

Construction of the Punta Gorda Light Station

In its 1908-09 annual report to the Secretary of Commerce, the Light-House Board announced that

Congress appropriated $60,000 on May 27, 1908, and that steps had been taken to acquire the site and a right of way. Tracts of land were procured on September 10, 1908 and March 25, 1909 for a total of

66.2 acres. The Board also reported that preliminary plans for the buildings are being prepared.

Lighthouse design was usually executed in the U.S. Lighthouse Service office in Washington, D.C. using standardized patterns, although California light stations exhibited important differences with regard to materials and design due to unique geographical and climatic situations. Forty light stations were built in California between the years of 1854 and 1940 (Bookwalter 1990). Lighthouses built in California in the mid-19th century were more in line with eastern U.S. structures, such as the Cape Cod design. By the late-19th century, California lighthouses had evolved to include “squat, large-lens structures located on the sides of major headlands” (Bookwalter 1989). The height and shape of the tower was influenced by the location where it was built. The earlier California lighthouse towers were made of brick; after 1856 at least four were made of reinforced concrete, three made of fabricated steel plates, two of stone, but the majority were made of wood. Three lighthouses were constructed of metal plates, two of stone.

The lens room in the tower held a Fresnel lens (which ranged from First Order to Fifth Order) made in

France of refracting prism crystal (Bookwalter 1989).

Figure 5. Architectural drawing of the Punta Gorda Light Station dated May 4, 1909, showing the southwest and southeast elevations. Note that the light station tower is attached to the side of the fog signal building, all of which is clad in wood.

Drawing available at catalog.archives.gov.

Architectural plans of the Punta Gorda Light Station are signed by a “C H McKinstry”, Major, Corps of

Engineers, Light House Engineer 12th L.H. District, San Francisco on May 4, 1909. This signature is that of Charles Hedges McKinstry whose military career began as a cadet in 1888 and spanned until 1919 when he retired as a Colonel. He was born in San Francisco, CA, the son of Judge Elisha W. McKinstry, Supreme Court of California, but began his career in the eastern part of the United States. He served on engineering projects in Michigan, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and

Florida before being assigned to duties in California.

The architectural drawings he signed depicting the proposed Punta Gorda Light Station are of a wood clad fog signal structure with an attached wood clad light tower with a metal light room and metal rail.

The Punta Gorda plans look to be very similar to those that were rendered for the Point Cabrillo Light

Station that was built in 1909. The elevation drawings do not match the final built products of a reinforced concrete watch room with central stairway to a metal lantern room and a separate fog signal building.

In fact, it seems odd that McKinstry would sign off on these drawings since at that time the effects of a major earthquake in 1906 on the Point Reyes and Point Arenas Light Stations was known (Putnam 1917).

Knowing what seismic activity can do to a lighthouse structure, and knowing that the Point Arenas Light

Station was re-built using a reinforced concrete method in 1908, and knowing that the Punta Gorda headland would be subject to seismic forces, one assumes that the 1909 plans for Punta Gorda would illustrate a reinforced concrete construction.

Two months after McKinstry signed the architectural drawings, on July 31, 1909, a Lieutenant Colonel

John Biddle, USA Corps of Engineers, was assigned to the Light-House service and he relieved Major C.H.

McKinstry, at the 12th District (Annual Report of the Operations of the Light-House Board for the Fiscal

Year ended June 30, 1910). Biddle was born in Michigan and began his career as a cadet in 1877. He served in various engineering capacities in New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and California as well as abroad in Puerto Rico, Cuba, England, France, and the Department of the Pacific (including Philippines and Guam). He retired as a Major-General in 1930.

Lt. Col. Biddle must have acknowledged the harsh marine environment and plethora of seismic activity and orchestrated a change in the building specification plans to a reinforced concrete light station between July 31, 1909 and March 25, 1910 when contractor bids were due. Architectural drawings showing this change have not yet been located. A comparison of reservation survey maps from 1909 and 1910 do illustrate the change from a single fog signal/tower building to a separate fog signal and tower buildings (Figures 6 and 7).

Figure 6. Preliminary Punta Gorda reservation map, showing fog signal and light station as a single building (drawing available at catalog.archives.gov).

Figure 7. Punta Gorda reservation map, revised 1910, showing the fog signal and light station tower as separate buildings (drawing available at catalog.archives.gov).

In its 1910 operations report, the Light-House Board mentions that the Department of Commerce successfully advocated the previous year for a re-organization of the Light-House Board. The Board acknowledged the legislation calling for its replacement by the Bureau of Light-Houses under the

Department of Commerce and Labor. As part of its final report, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1910, the Board states that photolithic plans had been issued for specifications and contract concerning the

Punta Gorda light station.

The Engineering Record (1910: Vol 61, No 10) reported that bids would be received until March 25, 1910 by the Lighthouse Engineer at San Francisco for construction of a reinforced concrete light building at

Punta Gorda. Several trade journals followed the bidding process and informed their readers that twelve bids were received and opened by the engineer at the 12th Lighthouse District in San Francisco, with the successful awarding of a contract to W.H. Wickersham of San Francisco with a lowest bid of

$33,285.00 (Engineering Record April 23, 1910, Rock Products Journal volumes 9-10, Engineering News

January-June 1910). Mr. Wickersham held other government building contracts in the region during the late 1800s (e.g. fire engine houses in San Francisco and a navy steam engineering shop at Puget Sound, WA), and advertised in trade journals with a business address of 1125 York Street, San Francisco (San

Francisco Municipal Reports 1895, Annual Reports of the Navy Department for the Year 1901).

The Light-House Board also reported construction activities began in 1910 on a level marine terrace just above the Pacific Ocean high tide zone. Specifically, the Board reported that the contractor had commenced work by excavating and preparing forms to pour the foundations on the light tower, a fog signal building, three lighthouse keeper’s houses, and a barn. At the close of the fiscal year, a total of

$5,832.47 had been spent on preliminary examination, survey, purchase of site, purchase of supplies, and miscellaneous expenses.

Figure 8. Punta Gorda lighthouse under construction, ca. 1910-12. Photo courtesy Mattole Historical Society.

The Timberman March 1911, Volume 12 reports:

W.H. Wickersham, contractor, who built the Punta Gorda Lighthouse and outbuildings, advised work on the new light station all complete and same has been accepted by government authorities. All is in readiness at the station except the lens for the light building, which is expected this week. With this additional station along the Coast, mariners claim considerable assistance will be rendered them in bad weather when it is necessary to hug the point, which has been the cause of many a wreck.

The 1911 Bureau of Light-Houses report states that contract work has been completed in compliance with the plans and specifications, and that the fog signal began operation on June 22, 1911. The Board expected the light station to become operational in January 1912. Total expenditures to the date of the report amounted to $52,886.00.

In the 1912 Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses it was announced that the light station was complete and began operation on January 15, 1912. In all, the construction amounted to a wood frame fog-signal building, a concrete oil house, a reinforced concrete light station with metal lantern room tower, a wood frame blacksmith and carpenter shop, a two-story wood frame keeper’s quarters, a two-story wood frame first assistant keeper’s quarters, a two-story wood frame second assistant keeper’s quarters, a wood frame fuel and store house located to the rear of each keeper’s quarters, and a wood frame barn for a total cost of $59,814.51.

Figure 9. View of the Lighthouse Keeper’s quarters, taken in 1912, soon after construction. Photo available at https://catalog.archives.gov/.

The construction effort in this remote setting would have been monumental and not at all reflected in terse Light-House Board reports. As stated in the NRHP nomination, these buildings were in view of a boiler from the steamer St. Paul, having run ashore during a heavy fog event in 1905, which would have been a constant reminder of the dangerous working conditions.

During construction, there was no road from Petrolia to the building site, thus supplies were brought on-shore at a point that was one-half mile from the construction site, at the mouth of Four Mile Creek, via a high line from a schooner moored off-shore. From there, horses dragged building materials on sleds to the construction site.

In 1915, a right-of-way was established along the coastline which allowed the lighthouse keepers to use horse and wagon as a mode of transport. Goods and supplies were then more easily obtained by traveling to Petrolia, CA, ten miles from the light station. Even though a right-of-way was delineated between the light station and the nearest town of Petrolia by 1915, there were many months during the year when flooded streams impeded travel.

In a 1920 Annual Report of the Commissioner of Lighthouses, it is reported that $15,625.00 was spent on road building. The 1931 Bureau of Lighthouses report announces the construction of a road to Punta

Gorda Light Station at a cost of $20,000.00. Clearly, building and maintaining a road would prove to be more costly than the contract the Government had with Mr. Wickersham to build the entire complex of light station, oil house, keeper’s houses, and other structures.

Operation of the Punta Gorda Light Station 1911-1953

Lightkeepers lived in remote places and worked long hours no matter where the duty station. Many of the early keepers were familiar with this way of life, having served at other lighthouses, or were related to other lighthouse keepers, which would form a network of support, one assumes. Even with that expectation of hard work and isolation, and being part of a lighthouse keeper network, it is said that lightkeepers did not look forward to duty at Punta Gorda, and that it soon had the reputation of being the “Alcatraz of Lighthouses”.

As an example of the “keeper network”, the first Principal Lighthouse Keeper at Punta Gorda, Frederick

A. Harrington (1911-1919), was the son of lightkeeper Frederick L. Harrington who served at the Cape

Mendocino (1882-1885), Piedras Blancas (1886-1888), and Trinidad Head (1888-1916) lighthouses.

Obviously, Frederick A. followed in his father’s footsteps and choose lighthouse keeping as a profession.

He worked at Fort Point (1900-1901), Alcatraz Island (1901-1903), Point Reyes (1903-1905), Table Bluff

(1905-1911), and back to Alcatraz Island (1919-1938). While at Point Reyes, he married Edna Hunter;

she was the daughter of Paschal Hunter, the man who would become Harrington’s First Assistant

Lighthouse Keeper at Punta Gorda. Paschal Hunter also worked at Table Bluff (1897 to 1903) and Point

Mendocino (1903 to 1911) lighthouses before arriving at Punta Gorda. Paschal’s son, Perry, would serve at Point Reyes (1902-1904), Cape Mendocino (1904-1908; 1911-1916), Pigeon Point (1909-1911), and later as principal keeper at Punta Gorda (1929-1940). Perry married Maude Harrington, daughter of

Frederick L. Harrington and sister of Frederick A. Harrington (who had married Perry’s sister, Edna). He finished his career at the Trinidad Head Light Station from 1940-1946 (https://archives.uslhs.org/).

Figure 10. Principal Lighthouse Keeper Frederick A. Harrington and his father-in-law First Assistant Lighthouse Keeper Paschal Hunter, 1911.

Even though the keepers were experienced workers, operation of the light house would have been grueling. The light was an incandescent oil vapor lamp for much of the time the light station was operational. The keeper was responsible for seeing that the brass light tank was filled with kerosene.

The tank was pumped by hand at times throughout the night to maintain air pressure. The fuel was vaporized when it passed over a Bunsen flame which created a bright light. An electric lamp (powered from a generator power source) was installed during the 1940s. Whether the light was incandescent oil vapor or electric generator, the station would need large amounts of fuel to keep the station operational, and by the late 1940s it was thought to be the most expensive station to operate.

One publication speaks to how the Punta Gorda light station keepers not only kept the premises in good working order, but would add the extra effort to create an inspired work place. For example, the Oil

House was considered a work of art at one time. The keepers kept the inside and out polished and in perfect condition. The interior showcased abundant polished brasswork. And every wall was covered by oil paintings created by the early employees of the 1920s through 1930s (Shanks and Shanks

1978:113).

Survival at this outpost generally meant being resourceful and subsisting on food grown or raised on the premises. At times, the keepers grew hay to feed livestock, principally the horses that were used for transport. Other livestock included cows, goats, and chickens (Harrison 2016). Shanks and Shanks

(1978) describe supply trips during the fall months as being preparatory for winter. The keepers would have stocked up on coffee, flour, dried vegetables, canned soups, and other shelf stable foods knowing that supply trips during the harsher winter months would be limited.

Figure 11. Unimproved route leaving Punta Gorda, looking north toward the Mattole River, post WWII (BLM file photo). The horse is “Old Bill” who served at Punta Gorda for at least 30 years, before retiring to a pasture near Ferndale, CA.

During World War II, beach patrols were organized along the California coastline. One encampment was built at the mouth of the Mattole river. A temporary guard shack was built adjacent to the light station, and additional horses were brought out to the station. Electric lines never reached the Punta Gorda station, but telephone lines were strung during World War II. These lines often couldn’t withstand the strong offshore winds (Harrison 2016, Shanks and Shanks 1978).

The Coast Guard took on management of lighthouses in 1939. At Punta Gorda, this meant focused efforts on improving the road. During the drier seasons of the year, the light station could be accessed by motor vehicle, rather than by foot or horseback. But little else was different with regard to the operation of the light station (Shanks and Shanks 1978).

With the high cost of operating the lighthouse, and improvements to navigational aids, the station remained in operation until February 15, 1951. At that time a lighted whistle buoy was placed on the offshore rocks, the lighthouse lens was removed, as were personnel and animals (Shanks and Shanks

1978:116-117). During its time of operation there were five shipwrecks, although many chroniclers wonder if there would have been far more without the light station (San Francisco Examiner and

Chronicle, 4/5/70). The property remained in Coast Guard ownership until it was transferred to the BLM on January 16, 1953.

The Keepers of the Light

Principal Lighthouse Keepers

• Frederick A. Harrington, Principal Lighthouse Keeper (1911-1919)

• Charles W. Lindley Principal Lighthouse Keeper (1928-1939)

• Perry S. Hunter Principal Lighthouse Keeper (1939-1940)

• Harmon A. Day Principal Lighthouse Keeper (1940-at least 1942)

• James Dunn Principal Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1919-at least 1921)

• Herbert H. Luff Principal Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1924-1928)

• Samuel "Hank" Mostovoy Principal Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1949-1951)

First Assistant Lighthouse Keepers

• Paschal Hunter, 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1911-1912)

• Albert N. Speelman, 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1912-at least 1915)

• Frederick C. Saunders, 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1928-1929)

• Frank W. Ritchie, 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1930-1931)

• Perry S. Hunter, 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1931-1939)

• George C. Lee, 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1939-1940)

• Andrews C. Platt, 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1940-1941)

• Leander W. Holmes, 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1917-at least 1920)

• Joseph Harrington, 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1921-at least 1924)

• Charles W. Lindley, 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1926- )

Second Assistant Lighthouse Keeper

• William E. Greer, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1911-1912)

• Albert N. Speelman, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1912-1912)

• Leopold Jordan, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1912-1912)

• Frederick C. Saunders, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1927-1928)

• Clarence C. Snodgrass, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1928-1930) https://archives.uslhs.org/people/frederick-harrington https://archives.uslhs.org/people/charles-w-lindley https://archives.uslhs.org/people/perry-s-hunter https://archives.uslhs.org/people/harmon-day https://archives.uslhs.org/people/james-dunn https://archives.uslhs.org/people/herbert-h-luff https://archives.uslhs.org/people/samuel-hank-mostovoy https://archives.uslhs.org/people/paschal-hunter https://archives.uslhs.org/people/albert-n-speelman https://archives.uslhs.org/people/frederick-c-saunders https://archives.uslhs.org/people/frank-w-ritchie https://archives.uslhs.org/people/perry-s-hunter https://archives.uslhs.org/people/george-c-lee https://archives.uslhs.org/people/andrews-c-platt https://archives.uslhs.org/people/leander-w-holmes https://archives.uslhs.org/people/joseph-harrington https://archives.uslhs.org/people/charles-w-lindley https://archives.uslhs.org/people/william-e-greer https://archives.uslhs.org/people/albert-n-speelman https://archives.uslhs.org/people/leopold-jordan https://archives.uslhs.org/people/frederick-c-saunders https://archives.uslhs.org/people/clarence-c-snodgrass

• Perry S. Hunter, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1929-1931)

• George C. Lee, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (1937-1939)

• Fletcher Wills, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1913- )

• William P.D. Holmes, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1915- )

• Joseph Harrington, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1917-at least 1920)

• Charles W. Lindley, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1921-at least 1924)

• Joseph T. Martinez, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1926- )

• Edmond P. Perry, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1934-at least 1935)

• Wayne R. Piland, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1936- )

• Olaf Rasmussen, 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper (at least 1940-at least 1942) https://archives.uslhs.org/people/perry-s-hunter https://archives.uslhs.org/people/george-c-lee https://archives.uslhs.org/people/fletcher-wills https://archives.uslhs.org/people/william-pd-holmes https://archives.uslhs.org/people/joseph-harrington https://archives.uslhs.org/people/charles-w-lindley https://archives.uslhs.org/people/joseph-t-martinez https://archives.uslhs.org/people/edmond-p-perry https://archives.uslhs.org/people/wayne-r-piland https://archives.uslhs.org/people/olaf-rasmussen

Punta Gorda Light Station under BLM Management, post-1953

As mentioned earlier in this report, when BLM first took on the management of the light station property, BLM staff saw an opportunity to provide the public with a unique recreation experience. In

1965, the bureau worked with a landscape architect to map out the grounds for a potential recreation site. At that time, the structures were in “relatively good shape”, considering that they had been vacant for about twelve years (Archibald 1993). Within a few years, BLM would be surprised that some members of the public saw the abandoned light station not as an opportunity for short term recreation, but as an opportunity for a free-style life and a different take on the “back to the land movement”.

In the 1960’s, the vacant houses were used by young people, who were referred to as “hippies”, who were part of a communal living effort known as the Belt Ministry (BLM Fact Sheet, on file BLM Arcata office). BLM became increasingly concerned about these trespassers for reasons of health, safety, and government liability. Many people were of the opinion the buildings were not being maintained properly to keep them stabilized and safe, and the wood clad structures on the premises should be considered a fire hazard. In fact, BLM has always struggled with maintenance funding for historic preservation, and for that reason at one point in 2005 BLM issued a policy statement that the agency would no longer accept light station properties.

By April of 1970, a management decision was reached, and the BLM burned all the wooden structures, leaving the concrete structures (oil house and lighthouse) intact. The post-fire debris from the structures was bulldozed into the concrete basements and covered. The public was against the BLM taking this action; it was generally agreed that an important heritage landmark was lost. According to Shanks and

Shanks (1978:118) and Harrison (2016:53), at least one BLM employee later admitted that the burning of the buildings was a mistake.

In 1976, the remaining two buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), as described later in this report. Since then, BLM has strived to maintain the light station and oil house, with a goal of keeping both buildings stable and accessible for the visiting public. The following section highlights the stabilization projects that occurred post-1970.

History of Stabilization

According to files at the BLM Arcata Field office, the Punta Gorda buildings have been the focus of at least one major maintenance effort each decade since BLM accepted the property as public land. The cost and remoteness of the work location are often cited as the limiting factors in maintaining these structures. Reports on file indicate repair work to the two structures was done in 1985, 1989, 1997, and

2005.

Little is known about the 1985 work, other than photos on file showing work being completed that are date stamped 1985. The photos mainly show a pickup truck with trailered generator to power a sand blaster and paint sprayer. In a few photos, staff are wearing protective gear and spray painting various areas of the exterior lighthouse and oil house.

To accomplish the 1989 work, BLM partnered with members of the California Conservation Corps and

Petrolia Fire Department who re-painted the structures. To thank the community, and to celebrate the

Bicentennial year of the Lighthouse Act (August 7, 1989 was declared National Lighthouse Day), BLM hosted a community event celebrating the work that was done during the 1989 season.

BLM worked with partners, namely the U.S. Coast Guard and the Honeydew Volunteer Fire Department, to maintain the structures in 1997. The Coast Guard provided a helicopter to transport seven loads of equipment and tools to the work site. The crew hiked in and camped while completing the work. The effort included repairing cracked masonry, sandblasting and painting the structure, and welding the steel stair and railing. BLM provided $6,000 in funding to the fire department for their labor. Additionally, $2,000 was obligated toward paint and supplies (The Keepers Log, Winter 1997).

In 1999, a field study by structural engineers working with the Bureau of Reclamation under the FEMA

310 evaluation process found the structures to be deficient (BLM Deferred Maintenance Report regarding Improvement Plan 2003-2007). Three years later, a visual inspection of the Light Station was conducted to assess the structural integrity and evaluate its need for seismic upgrades (Luu 2002). It was determined that a seismic upgrade was not needed because: (1) the building is abandoned and in a remote location with infrequent visitation, (2) the structural integrity appears to be good despite hairline cracks caused by temperature shrinkage. There was no evidence that cracking was due to seismic lateral force. Recommendations were made to replace the rusted steel stair with similar type, provide glazing on the balcony lantern section and the door, or provide a hatch at the top of the stair to protect the interior from the weather, and remove the rusted steel window frames and re-grout back to the original window size.

A stabilization project was implemented in 2005, that included removal of the steel window frames and concrete patch work around the doors and window areas; painting of the concrete walls, metal tower and catwalk, and metal tower railing; and repair of the light station stairway (photos on file, BLM Arcata

Field Office). Also, the circular iron staircase was replicated by Fortuna Iron Works and installed in June

2005 (Grangaard 2005).

Since then, BLM has sought funding to continue the maintenance and stabilization work. At the time of this report, deferred maintenance funds have been earmarked for work beginning in FY20.

Punta Gorda’s NRHP Evaluation

In his thesis on California Light Stations, Bookwalter (1990:64) states that National Register-eligible light stations must possess integrity of workmanship, materials, character, and design, as well as associative significance with regard to the station’s role in history and in its setting. He adds that the minimum requirement to justify the historical function of a light station is the presence of a tower that was designed to hold a Fresnel lens and one or more associated ancillary buildings. The association with other buildings conveys the relationship between the light station and the community of people that was needed to operate the light station. Typically, these buildings include keeper’s dwellings, fog signal building, oil house, or other ancillary structure (Bookwalter 1990: 76). He adds that at the least, the light station and associated building(s) should be architecturally intact on the exterior.

The Punta Gorda Light Station was evaluated by BLM staff and nominated to the National Register on

9/11/1975. Rodney K. Mayer, a BLM Recreation Technician, prepared the form drawing from information he gleaned from Coast Guard and BLM files, an article in the Humboldt Times, a transcript of an oral history interview with a retired Coast Guard employee, as well as referring to a publication entitled West Coast Lighthouses. The nomination was reviewed by the State Historic Preservation

Officer, and a Federal Representative before being approved by the Keeper of the National Register on

9/2/1976 (NRHP # 76000483).

The period of significance is identified as 1910-1951 under the themes of communication and transportation. As to its level of significance, it was evaluated as significant at the state level. The architect was identified as John Riddle, which is an inaccuracy; the signature on the architectural drawings is Engineer C H McKinstry and the Engineer overseeing the construction project was John

Biddle.

The National Register nomination forms in 1976 were not as robust as they are at the time of this report. The form does not ask the evaluator to apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, for example. These criteria outline the “quality of significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture” that is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that “possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and:

A. That are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or

B. That are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or

C. That embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose compoennts may lack individual distinction; or

D. That have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

The 1976 NRHP nomination form does not specifically evaluate the property by these criteria. It could be argued that the property meets the criteria of (a) and (c). The Punta Gorda Light Station reflects events or patterns of an area’s development in as much as it was built in response to repeated shipwrecks. Shipping was an important means of transporting people and goods, and safe maritime travel allowed for the Spanish exploration and eventual European American migration into an area with resources not seen elsewhere in the country. It was shipping that allowed the redwood timber and tanoak bark industries to thrive. It was safe maritime travel that allowed movement of people to provide labor and establish homes and businesses that were the heart of the northwestern California economic engine beyond the mid-19th century. Hence, the Punta Gorda Light Station is seen as meeting criteria A in that it is associated with events that made a significant contribution to broad patterns of regional and state of California history. The station was constructed of reinforced concrete, which was a little used material and technique for its time. It was a unique method of construction used in response to potential seismic hazards and effects to the structural integrity of the lighthouse. Hence, the Punta

Gorda Light Station is seen as meeting criteria C in that it is a distinctive method of construction associated with the elite cadre of lighthouse engineers.

The National Register considers lighthouses to be structures rather than a building or object. The lighthouse can be part of a site, which is a location of a significant event, or a structure whether standing, ruined, or vanished, where the location itself possesses historic, cultural, or archaeological value regardless of the value of any existing structure.

At Punta Gorda, the significance of the lighthouse and oil house complex is that the structures are located within a particular, original setting and retain architectural integrity. The significance themes of communication and transportation speak directly to the structure’s function as a communication device and warning system to those who were engaged in maritime travel and transportation.

The Punta Gorda Lightstation is included in the broader study on California Light Stations that was completed concurrently with a National Register property listing: Light Stations of California with the associated historic context of Maritime Transportation in California, 1840-1940.