“The experience defies description. The unique location, the size, the massive construction, and the million-dollar views hit you all at once. It never gets old.”

Most people in Del Norte County have seen St. George Reef Lighthouse from shore. It sits out there on the horizon like a distant guardian, easy to admire and just as easy to take for granted. But for John Zimmerman, caretaker and volunteer with the St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society, the lighthouse represents much more than a structure sitting on a rock in the Pacific Ocean.

For Zimmerman, the journey began years ago during family vacations to Cannon Beach, Oregon, where he became fascinated by lighthouses. That interest eventually led him through decades of volunteer work at East Brother Island Lighthouse and later to an association with St. George Reef founder Guy Towers. Today, that interest has become a commitment.

St. George Reef Lighthouse is no ordinary landmark. The tallest lighthouse on the West Coast, it was also the most expensive lighthouse ever built in the United States. It earned another distinction as well — one nobody wanted. More people lost their lives serving there than at any other lighthouse in America.

Built in a harsh and unforgiving location, the lighthouse faced storms powerful enough to send waves over the tower itself. During one historic storm in 1952, the keepers reportedly ran out of food except for coffee and pancakes. Eventually they ran out of milk and could only drink coffee.

Zimmerman says stepping inside surprises many visitors.

“The thickness of the walls, the workmanship, and the granite stairs,” he says.

But preserving history takes much more than admiration. Volunteers are constantly needed. Carpenters, painters, electricians, computer specialists, social media helpers, grant writers, fair booth workers, docents, and people simply willing to lend a hand all play a role.

Ninety-five percent of the volunteers are local people.

That may be one of the most remarkable things about the lighthouse. A structure built to protect strangers at sea more than a century ago is still bringing people together today.

Zimmerman sees the lighthouse itself as a lesson.

“The very fact that it exists and survived 134 years says it all.”

He hopes for continued restoration and greater public access so future generations can experience living history firsthand. But that future depends on ordinary people stepping forward.

Zimmerman says keeping the lighthouse alive is not the work of one person or a small group. It takes a community. Every repaired window, every restored section of ironwork, every tour, and every improvement happens because people choose to give their time, skills, and support. Preserving the past, he says, becomes a way of building something for the future.

Perhaps that is the real lesson of St. George Reef Lighthouse. It was built to protect lives, and more than a century later it is still doing something similar — bringing people together around a shared purpose and reminding us that some things are worth preserving.

Sometimes preserving history is not simply about saving an old building. Sometimes it is about deciding that something worth building is also worth keeping alive.

 

Interested in helping preserve St. George Reef Lighthouse? The St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society welcomes volunteers of all backgrounds and skill levels. Community support also helps continue restoration efforts and expand public access opportunities. To learn more, volunteer, or donate, visit saintgeorgereeflight.org