The original Point Loma Lighthouse was built on top of Point Loma at the mouth of San Diego Bay in San Diego, California. It is situated in the Cabrillo National Monument. It is sometimes erroneously called the "Old Spanish Lighthouse," but in fact it was not built during San Diego's Spanish or Mexican eras; it was built in 1855 by the United States government after California's admission as a state. Construction began on the lighthouse in early 1854 and was completed in November 1855. The light was first lit on November 15, 1855. However, the lighthouse's location on top of a 400-foot cliff... meant that fog and low clouds often obscured the light from the view of ships. On March 23, 1891 the flame was permanently extinguished and the light was replaced by the New Point Loma lighthouse at a lower elevation. In 1984, the light was re-lit by the National Park Service for the first time in 93 years, in celebration of the site’s 130th birthday. Historical Information from USCG web site Written by Harmon Lougher, Chief Photographer’s Mate, U. S. Coast Guard prior to 1973 "The long neck of land enclosing North San Diego Bay on the West side is known as Point Loma.
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