Historic San Diego: The Old Lighthouse in Point Loma is a Must-See

This is where San Diego's history began.

Perched 400 feet above sea level, at the tip of Point Loma peninsula and near the mouth of San Diego’s Big Bay, stands the old lighthouse from 1854. It was in operation for 36 years, with 11 keepers and 22 assistant keepers and their families tending the light. But because low clouds and fog often obscured the light, a new light house was built and operated at the bottom of the bluff in 1891.

The old lighthouse is now a historical site and part of the Cabrillo National Monument. A small museum explains the history of the area.


The Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo anchored his flotilla of three small sailing ships––the San Salvador, La Victoria, and San Miguel––at the foot of the bluff in 1542 and named the area San Miguel, the site of modern San Diego.


I imagine, being a lighthouse keeper in the 1800s wasn’t an easy life. In this isolated place, surrounded by the ocean and exposed to the elements of nature.


The guitar music was performed by my grandson Max Dennert on Thanksgiving in 2020. I noticed a guitar in one of the lighthouse bedrooms, I thought a guitar piece would be a nice contrast to the crashing ocean waves and the calls of the crows.


Please check out my other videos with Max and his yellow guitar:
https://www.ganjing.com/video/1fd1vjfm3cg6KkDB8LAQjo6dJ1mh1c

https://www.ganjing.com/video/1f707ntujhg7lNn1LbbO9A8SY1fn1c

https://www.ganjing.com/video/1f88lb1fd8o1cXIDvBFCWjZr31il1c


For more information on the Cabrillo National Monument go to: www.nps.gov/cabr