Alcatraz Island Lighthouse

Oldest lighthouse on the US West Coast (1854) on Alcatraz Island — once a navigation aid, now part of the famous prison complex.

The lighthouse on Alcatraz Island is the oldest on the US West Coast, lit in 1854 to mark the treacherous entrance to San Francisco Bay. The original structure was replaced after the 1906 earthquake by a taller concrete tower completed in 1909. Today it stands in the shadow of the world-famous former federal penitentiary, which operated until 1963. Managed by the National Park Service as part of the island's Historic District, it offers an unusual vantage point back toward the San Francisco skyline.