Alcatraz Island Lighthouse
Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay Area
First lit: June 1, 1854
On June 1, 1854, the first lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States was lit for the first time. Alcatraz Island was an important place for a lighthouse, because of the huge influx of people to the San Francisco Bay Area as a result of the Gold Rush. This lighthouse was built eleven years before the island was ever used as a prison.⠀
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A new, taller tower was built on the grounds in 1909, replacing the old one.⠀