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If you’ve spent any time up in Trinidad, you’ve surely noticed the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse overlooking the parking lot at State Beach. But have you ever explored its predecessor – the original Trinidad Head Lighthouse?
In today’s episode of Humboldt Outdoors, local documentarian Ray Olson meets with volunteers from the Trinidad Museum Society for a tour of the historic Trinidad Head Lighthouse, which has been in continuous operation since it was built on the southern tip of the rocky outcropping in 1871.
“In the 1800s, dozens of ships wrecked on Humboldt County’s rocky coast, and scores of lives were lost,” Olson explains in the video above. “So, the U.S. government allocated funds to build a series of lighthouses along the coast to guide ships away from hazardous rocks and into [the] safe harbor. … This lighthouse was built over 150 years ago, and yet it still serves as a beacon for ships entering Trinidad Harbor.”
Click “play” on the video above to learn more about the historic landmark and former lighthouse keeper Captain Fred Harrington, who witnessed the highest wave ever recorded in Trinidad while performing his lighthouse duties on Dec. 31, 1913.
Want to see the lighthouse for yourself? The good folks at the Trinidad Museum Society offer free tours on the first Saturday of every month between 10 a.m. and noon. More information can be found here.
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PREVIOUS HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS:
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: The Covered Bridges of Humboldt County
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: A Look at the Historic Ghost Town of Falk
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: The Ruins of Humboldt County’s First Lighthouse
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Mysterious Wood Carvings in the Arcata Community Forest
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Ray Olson Cracks the Case on the Mysterious Arcata Community Forest Wood Carvings
- HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Venturing Inside the Loleta Tunnel
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Retracing Jack London’s 1911 Journey Through Humboldt County
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Ray Olson Takes Us on a Camping Trip to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Ray Olson Takes a Peek at the Timber Heritage Association’s Future Railroad Museum in Samoa
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Ray Olson Goes Back in Time to Teach Us About the History of Earth Day
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Ray Olson Traverses Jolly Giant Creek From Its Headwaters in the Arcata Community Forest to Humboldt Bay
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Ray Olson Meets the Group of Local Veterans Working to Restore the WWII-Era Ship Beached in Samoa
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Ray Olson is Joined by Local Authors Barry Evans and Jerry Rohde for a Tour of the Historic Table Bluff Cemetary
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Ray Olson Takes Us Through the Lower Deck of Historic 1091
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Ray Olson Introduces Us to Humboldt’s Cutest Herd of Lawn Mowers
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Ray Olson Takes Us on the Second Leg of His Journey Along Jolly Giant Creek
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Ray Olson Takes Us to the Ruins of the USS Milwaukee Shipwreck
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Check Out the Trillium Blooms Before They Disappear for the Season!
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: Ray Olson and Friends Explore the Historic Bridges of Bridgeville and Beyond
- (VIDEO) HUMBOLDT OUTDOORS: The Navy Submarine That Ran Aground on Samoa Beach