Historic Site
The U.S. Life-Saving Service Cemetery at Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore, CAType
Historic Site
Location
38.0937°N 122.9315°W
This small cemetery on Point Reyes Beach holds four surfmen of the U.S. Life-Saving Service station established here in 1890. It sits within a copse of eucalyptus, enclosed by a white picket fence.
Details
- Type
- Historic Site
- Accessibility
- Limited accessibility
History
In 1890 the U.S. Life-Saving Service established a station with a keeper and seven surfmen on a remote stretch of Point Reyes Beach, a coast known for pounding surf and bad weather. The surfmen patrolled Point Reyes Beach and Drakes Beach watching for shipwrecks and stranded crews. During the station's first years, four surfmen died and were buried in this cemetery.
Visiting
The cemetery is enclosed by a white picket fence and reached by a narrow dirt path up a small hill into a dense stand of eucalyptus.