Rancho Palos Verdes Tutors

About Rancho Palos Verdes

Rancho Palos Verdes in California is an awe inspiring coastal city, surrounded by rocky bluffs and gorgeous white crested waves crashing into the rocks. While this sight is gorgeous for the passerby, at one point these rocky bluffs were a very real danger, and claimed many ships and lives in the night when navigating these shores was difficult. The region became infamous as a dangerous passage, and a dreaded route by seamen. If you’ve been reviewing history with your Rancho Palos Verdes tutor you know the seas were a dangerous place for sailors. So, in 1926 the U.S. Lighthouse Service began plans to erect a bright beacon in California, the Point Vicente Lighthouse in Palos Verdes. It was built with a 1000-watt bulb that projected light via a five-foot lens imported from Alaska. The lens was hand crafted in 1886 and threw a beam of light that could be seen 20 miles away.

The tower stands 67 feet tall but actually stands 185 feet above sea level. The lighthouse was maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard and was manned by them until 1971 when automated systems took the place of actual controllers. Around the time the U.S Coast Guard took over the tower a radio station and radio navigation were added, so they could monitor and respond to distress signals. That too was closed down in 1980 when the task was moved to another station, although the radio equipment still sits up there it is quite out dated.

In World War II, the 1000-watt bulb was replaced by a 25-watt bulb and black out curtains were hung in order to not aid the enemy. After the war was done residents were greatly annoyed by the spinning light shining into their bedroom windows, and the glaring beam posed a real threat for traffic as well. So, the windows facing the town were painted white to block out the light, and residents were able to go to sleep in peace.

Today the lighthouse still stands, a regal accent to a beautiful landscape. Some local ghost stories have even popped up, about a woman in a white dress being seen walking around, but what lighthouse doesn’t have ghost stories? So next time you’re taking a stroll down the coast after a lesson with your Rancho Palos Verdes tutor and have a few spare minutes, maybe stop and take a peek at this little piece of history!