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St. George Reef Light stands on North West Seal Rock off northern California near Crescent City, where the Dragon Rocks and a dangerous reef caused repeated wrecks, including the Brother Jonathan in 1865. First lit in 1892 after a decade of difficult construction, the compact granite lighthouse combined living quarters and lantern in a single structure anchored to a blasted rock base. Its isolated offshore setting made service there hazardous, with rough-water supply transfers, severe storms, injuries, deaths, and frequent hardship for keepers. Decommissioned in 1975, it was later restored and relit in 2012, remaining a rare Pacific offshore lighthouse and a symbol of ambitious nineteenth-century engineering.
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California · United States
