At the height of the Gold Rush many ships, large and small, were finding there way into the northern California bay and desperately needed a navigational aid on days when the weather became inclement. Alcatraz Light, a Cape Cod influenced cottage with a short tower, was begun in 1852 and first lit in 1854 to guide the ships through the bay. It was equipped with a third-order Fresnel lens from France and was the first operational U. S. lighthouse on the west coast.
The small tower remained the only real structure on the island in the San Francisco Bay for many years. It was damaged in the 1906 earthquake and rebuilt in 1909 when the prison was conducted. The original tower was replaced with an 84 foot concrete tower that was built next to the cell house. The light was automated in 1962 and in 1963, the island became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation area.
