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The mystery of Marin's Point Bonita lighthouse tunnel
Marin history and our Zillow listing of the week
Marin Buzz
September 15, 2025
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The southern most tip of Marin is called Point Bonita. There’s a lighthouse there, but getting to it is unique and involves a mystery.
In 1855 this was the third lighthouse built on the West Coast. The San Francisco Bay entrance could be treacherous, especially in dense fog. And it helped, but the fog was so dense, they decided they needed to move the lighthouse down closer to the water.
So in 1877 they moved the lighthouse down all the way to the end of the promontory (I had to look that up: a point of high land extending into the water). That made getting to the lighthouse quite an ordeal.
It was necessary to carve a 118 foot tunnel through the hillside by hand. From there it was such a treacherous walk, they eventually built a suspension bridge in 1954.
The mystery is who dug the tunnel. There are no records, which is fairly unusual. Were the records lost on purpose? That appears to be a leading theory, including by the National Park Service. Perhaps they didn’t want record of a government contract going to Chinese immigrant laborers (this would have been less than a decade since their contribution to the transcontinental railroad tunnels at the Donner Pass).
Want to go? Visiting hours are 12:30-3:30 Thursday through Monday. However, you can only make it as far as the viewing platform, the suspension bridge is closed. More info.
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Check it out:
Thanks for reading. We will be back with the regular events and activities email Wednesday morning!
Help us join The Keg Stand founders club
Our "Bar of the Week" recently was The Keg Stand in Novato. They are a new brewery and created a founders club to raise funds for improvements.
Some of you said Marin Buzz should join and throw a party, so we are seeing if we can get $1000 to make it happen. Contribute what you can and all the proceeds will go to the membership. Thanks for supporting a Marin business!