Alki Point Light, Integral lighthouse in West Seattle, US
Alki Point Light is a white octagonal brick tower with a red dome situated at the southern entrance to Elliott Bay in Seattle, Washington. The structure stands approximately 11 meters tall and functions as an integral lighthouse that guides vessels through these busy waters.
Hans Martin Hanson maintained a kerosene lamp on his property during the 1870s before the United States Lighthouse Board established an official light station in 1887. This transition reflected Seattle's growing importance as a shipping hub and the need for reliable navigation aids in the bay.
The name Alki comes from the Chinook language and means 'by and by', referring to how the Indigenous people of the area greeted early settlers.
The lighthouse welcomes visitors during warmer months, with tours available on weekend afternoons when the light station is staffed. Bring comfortable shoes for exploring the area, as the walkway around the point can be uneven and exposed to wind from the bay.
The original fourth-order Fresnel lens was manufactured in Paris and required manual rewinding every five hours to maintain its precise ten-second rotation. This mechanical precision was essential for ships to reliably recognize the lighthouse's distinctive flash pattern in fog and darkness.
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