The need for a lighthouse at Point San Luis was recognized as early as 1867. In that year, President
Andrew Johnson directed by Executive Order the Department of the Interior to investigate the logistics of placing a lighthouse at that location. In the 1870s, Port Harford was quite busy, averaging 400 ships per year arriving at that location, and the need for a lighthouse was again discovered. In 1877, the
Tribune of San Luis Obispo reported that Congressman
Romualdo Pacheco had introduced a bill for the construction of a lighthouse at Point San Luis. This early effort was not successful, but in 1886 Congress finally passed the funding authorization for the lighthouse. The construction of the lighthouse was delayed and it took the near disaster of a ship sinking to move the project ahead. On the night of April 29, 1888, a ship called the
Queen of the Pacific began to take on water. It was about 2 am and the ship was about from Port Harford. The captain turned his ship to the harbor but had to proceed slowly because of the dark and for fear of the rocks at the harbor entrance. The ship made it to within about of the pier, where it settled to the bottom in just of water. Since most of the ship was still above water, there were no lives lost. It was argued, however, that with a lighthouse to guide it, the ship would have easily made it to the pier. This provided the final impetus for the creation of the lighthouse. The lighthouse was completed in June 1890, and was lit for the first time on June 30, 1890, with the steam powered fog whistle becoming operational in 1891. By specification, the 4th Order
Fresnel lens would generate alternate red and white flashes of light every 30 seconds that would be visible out to sea. In 1969, the Fresnel lens was retired (it is currently on display at the Point SLO Lighthouse) and replaced by an automated electric light. In 1974, the Coast Guard decommissioned the light station. ==Access==