Mount Diablo Beacon - Contra Costa County, California
Posted by: 
DougK
N 37° 52.901 W 121° 54.841
10S E 595500 N 4193243
This aircraft beacon sits on the 75 foot tower of the Mt Diablo Museum. When it was operating, it cast a 10 million candlepower beam over land and sea from Mt. Diablo.
Waymark Code: WMWK4X
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 09/14/2017
Views: 25
The Civilian Conservation Corps works built roads and buildings up to the summit between 1933 and 1942. In January of 1939, the Standard Diablo Beacon built by Standard oil was turned over to the Parks Department. The tower was dismantled and the beacon was moved to the top of the Museum Observation Tower where it stands today.
After the December 7, 1941 attack at Pearl Harbor, the beacon was turned off on December 8, 1941. It was feared that the enemy could use it to penetrate into the interior of the United States.
After WW II innovations in navigations made the beacon obsolete and it remained dark until December 7, 1964, when it was turned on briefly to honor those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor.
It is now lit for one night, December 7 in a ceremony that honors those who were at Pearl Harbor.
In 2013 the beacon was restored so that it can shine for many years to come. Truly a great monument of the early airmail and aeronautical pioneers.
From Arrows Across America