Punta Gorda Light Station
Why it's listed
Punta Gorda Light Station occupies a stretch of beach about ten miles southwest of Petrolia in Humboldt County, California. Construction began in 1910 after a run of shipwrecks off Punta Gorda, including the 1907 loss of the passenger ship Columbia with 77 lives. The fog signal began operating in 1911 and the light first shone in January 1912. Supplies first came ashore by high line and sled, and later by horse and wagon, though flooded creeks cut the station off for about seven months each year. Staff reportedly called it the Alcatraz of Light Houses. It became the costliest station to run in its Coast Guard district and was closed in 1951. The Bureau of Land Management burned the decayed wood buildings in the late 1960s. Two structures remain: a 27-foot concrete and iron lighthouse and a small concrete oil house, both weathered and open to the elements.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the station matters less as a navigation aid than for the unusual transportation and communications problems of building and running it in an extremely inaccessible location. It was described as a frontier settlement in a modern world. It was built after a series of shipwrecks, including the loss of 77 lives on the Columbia in 1907.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 76000483, listed September 1, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 10.5 mi. SW of Petrolia, Petrolia |
|---|---|
| County | Humboldt County |
| Listed | September 1, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76000483 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1910-1951 |
| Architect / builder | John Riddle - former lighthouse Engineer, 12th Lighthouse District |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Communications |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Deteriorated and unoccupied. The light was extinguished in 1951 and the wood frame buildings were burned in the late 1960s. Only the lighthouse and oil house still stand, without windows or doors. |
| Acreage | 66.2 |
| Coordinates | 40.24724, -124.34584 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 76000483.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7260532
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.