Rubicon Point Light
Encyclopedia
The Rubicon Point Light is a small lighthouse
on Lake Tahoe
in California
.
s for the lake, in 1913 by the Lake Tahoe Protective Association, and was built under the direction of J. J. Bodilsen in 1916; the work was done by the United States Coast Guard
. The keeper was paid $180 per year, and was "required to furnish his own launch for visiting and recharging the light and in addition to shipping and receiving supplies for the light will be required to make a short trip each night to a point from which the light can be observed, there being no year around resident on the lake who can properly inspect the light from his residence." Official sources state that the light was only lit for three years, until 1919; some locals, however, report that the tower was lit until sometime in the 1920s or '30s. Still others report that it was discontinued in 1921. It was replaced by a light at Sugar Pine Point
.
The light at Rubicon Point was acetylene
-powered; two 300-gallon tanks of the fuel would be brought to Emerald Point every day and then taken up to the light by mule
or wagon
. Maintaining the lighthouse was expensive, and this appears to be the reason why it was abandoned fairly quickly. Over the years it has deteriorated to the point that many people mistake it for an outhouse
; today, however, efforts are being made to restore the tower.
The lighthouse at Rubicon Point has the highest elevation
of any American
lighthouse; it stands 6300 feet (1,920.2 m) above sea level
, at a point where it could be seen from most places around the lake. It is currently located in D. L. Bliss State Park
.
The Rubicon Point Light was added to the Lighthouse Digest
Doomsday List
in 1997.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
on Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
History
The lighthouse was requested, along with buoyBuoy
A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...
s for the lake, in 1913 by the Lake Tahoe Protective Association, and was built under the direction of J. J. Bodilsen in 1916; the work was done by the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
. The keeper was paid $180 per year, and was "required to furnish his own launch for visiting and recharging the light and in addition to shipping and receiving supplies for the light will be required to make a short trip each night to a point from which the light can be observed, there being no year around resident on the lake who can properly inspect the light from his residence." Official sources state that the light was only lit for three years, until 1919; some locals, however, report that the tower was lit until sometime in the 1920s or '30s. Still others report that it was discontinued in 1921. It was replaced by a light at Sugar Pine Point
Sugar Pine Point Light
The Sugar Pine Point Light was a small lighthouse located on Lake Tahoe, in El Dorado County, California.-History:In 1921, various commercial interests lobbied for the replacement of the Rubicon Point Light with a light on Sugar Pine Point...
.
The light at Rubicon Point was acetylene
Acetylene
Acetylene is the chemical compound with the formula C2H2. It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution.As an alkyne, acetylene is unsaturated because...
-powered; two 300-gallon tanks of the fuel would be brought to Emerald Point every day and then taken up to the light by mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
or wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
. Maintaining the lighthouse was expensive, and this appears to be the reason why it was abandoned fairly quickly. Over the years it has deteriorated to the point that many people mistake it for an outhouse
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
; today, however, efforts are being made to restore the tower.
The lighthouse at Rubicon Point has the highest elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of any American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lighthouse; it stands 6300 feet (1,920.2 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, at a point where it could be seen from most places around the lake. It is currently located in D. L. Bliss State Park
D. L. Bliss State Park
D. L. Bliss State Park is a California state park located on the west shore of Lake Tahoe approximately 25 miles north of the city of South Lake Tahoe. In 1929, the Duane Leroy Bliss family donated to the state for the park. Rubicon Point Light, the highest lighthouse in the United States, is...
.
The Rubicon Point Light was added to the Lighthouse Digest
Lighthouse Digest
Lighthouse Digest is a specialty magazine for lighthouse and maritime history enthusiasts published in East Machias, Maine. Launched in May, 1992, by FogHorn Publishing, it is dedicated to preserving lighthouse history, current and yesteryear, for future generations.-Scope:Coverage includes...
Doomsday List
Doomsday List
The Doomsday List is a list of endangered lighthouses compiled by Lighthouse Digest magazine. The list usually consists of lighthouses in the United States, Guatemala, and Canada, but occasionally will include sites from other countries as well. Inclusion on the list raises awareness that a...
in 1997.