Point Reyes is a prominent headland with a historic lighthouse located in Point Reyes National Seashore, a 71,028-acre (28,744-ha) park and nature preserve about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of San Francisco and 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Inverness, California. The peninsula extends 10 miles (16 km) seaward and has historically posed a significant hazard to ships traveling the foggy coast. Sebastián Vizcaíno named it Punto de los Reyes (meaning Point of the Kings) in 1603 when he anchored nearby with the San Diego, San Tomás and Tres Reyes on January 6th, the Day of the Three Kings. The point consists of erosion-resistant granitic basement representing the Salinian terrane, exposed on the southern shore. This terrane is an ancient segment of the southernmost Sierra Nevada that was transported north from southern California by lateral movement along the San Andreas fault, which lies to the east, aligned with Olema Valley and Tomales Bay. Other exposures occur at Bodega Head to the north and Mount Pinos to the south. Eocene sedimentary rocks overlie the granite on the northern shore; farther inland, the terrane is completely buried by Miocene and Pliocene sedimentary rocks.

The Coast Miwok people inhabited most of the Marin peninsula when Europeans arrived. The Hookooeko, or “South People”, lived around southern Tomales Bay. These hunter-gatherers lived in small bands without centralized political authority. In spring they fished for salmon and gathered shellfish and seaweed along the coast; in winter they relied on acorns and wild game such as deer and rabbits. In 1579 Sir Francis Drake, aboard the Golden Hind, reputedly landed near Point Reyes during his circumnavigation and made contact with a Coast Miwok settlement. In 1595 the Spanish galleon San Agustin sought shelter from a storm, but the captain mistakenly ran the ship aground, thinking Point Reyes was an island. The ship broke apart and its cargo washed ashore, eventually collected by the local Coast Miwok. In 1817 the Spanish built Mission San Rafael Arcángel and began recruiting Coast Miwok as converts and laborers. In 1843, following Mexican independence, Governor Manuel Micheltorena granted Antonio María Osio 48,189 acres (19,501 ha) called Rancho Punta de los Reyes Sobrante. In 1850 Osio sold the property to Andrew Randall, who acquired several other ranchos but lacked sufficient credit for payments. A creditor fatally shot Randall in 1856, and the property was divided into smaller cattle ranches and dairy farms. In 1962 President John F. Kennedy authorized the National Park Service to acquire 53,000 acres (21,450 ha), with 18,000 acres (7,284 ha) leased back to ranchers.

Despite many shipwrecks, Point Reyes remained unmarked until 1870. A lighthouse was authorized in 1855, but construction was delayed while the US Lighthouse Board negotiated with landowners over price. The original plan called for a two-story dwelling with an integral tower atop the headland. However, experience at Point Bonita had shown that fog could obscure an elevated light, so the plan was revised to place the light closer to sea level. Two terraces were blasted from the cliff: one at 100 feet (30 m) above sea level for the fog-signal building, and another 150 feet (46 m) higher for the light tower. A wooden stairway with 300 steps was built into the cliff to reach the tower from the top; 338 more steps led to the fog building. Materials for the light tower and lightkeepers’ residence were landed at Drakes Bay and hauled overland. The residence was built atop the bluff, with a 100,000-gallon (454,609-l) concrete cistern and rain catchment constructed nearby to supply water for the keepers and the steam fog signal. The 16-sided light tower stood 30 feet (9 m) tall, made of iron and bolted to rock, with a first-order Fresnel lens manufactured in France in 1867 by Barbier and Fenestre that produced a white flash every five seconds. The light at Point Reyes was manned for 105 years; in 1975 the Coast Guard transferred ownership to the National Park Service. Read more about Point Reyes here and here. Explore more of Point Reyes and Point Reyes National Seashore here: