Diablo Watch
Spring/Summer 2013 No. 55
The Eye of Diablo: Restoring A Piece of National and Local History
S
when it was moved to its current location on top of the specially designed new summit building. Standard Oil paid for the steel and concrete that would support the locally quarried sandstone, and Civilian Conservation Corps workers on Mt. Diablo provided the labor. On December 8, 1941, the beacon was turned off after the attack on Pearl Harbor as part of the west coast blackout to decrease targets for further attack. By the end of World War II, The Eye of Diablo radar was standard and the In 1928, the Standard Oil beacon was obsolete. We Company of California, now have no evidence that any Chevron, saw the need for maintenance was done from comparable beacons on the 1941 until local volunteers Pacific Coast, and financed re-built the controls in the erection of five beacons preparation for re-lighting including one at the summit of on December 7, 1964. The Mount Diablo. The company Oakland chapter of the Pearl obtained permission from Walter Harbor survivors arranged Frick, the owner of the summit; for Fleet Admiral Chester W. Mt. Diablo State Park existed Nimitz to light the beacon in but the land was still privately honor of those who lost their owned. Soon a 70 foot steel lives at Pearl Harbor. The tower graced the top of our beacon has been lit every mountain and a 10 million December 7th since. candlepower 36” Sperry beacon Sadly, the number of was placed on top. The latest members of the Pearl Harbor technology had an automatic Survivors Association is timer to adjust start/stop times dwindling. The Sons and for the time of year, and a light Thanks to the hard work of volunteers maintaining the beacon, it shines in the glow Daughters of Pearl Harbor bulb changer. A telephone line of the sunset during the 2008 ceremony. Now the beacon requires full restoration. Survivors now sponsor the to the switchboard at Diablo event. Save Mount Diablo assured that any failure would be immediately reported, and the became a co-sponsor of the beacon lighting ceremony in 2006. tower had giant neon letters that blinked “S” and “D” (Standard Retired ranger Burt Bogardus made sure that the beacon Diablo) in Morse Code. The switch was first thrown remotely functioned each year, but proper care and maintenance have by renowned aviator Charles Lindbergh. not been done. Thanks to special legislation written by The beacon shone nightly on its tower until about 1939 Clayton Wordsell
hortly after World War I, and well before the development of radar, the U.S. Army Air Service and U.S. Post Office searched for equipment that would allow flying at night. Several manufacturers including the Sperry Gyroscope Company jumped into the fray to develop lights for airport runways and bright beacons so pilots could find the airports. By the mid 1920s, a string of beacons provided a guide for pilots from Chicago to Salt Lake City.
(continued on page 11)
Self-Guided Hike: Round Valley Audible Guide Defending CEQA Highland Ridge
3 6 8-10
Saving Tassajara Preserving History Thanks to our Supporters
4-5 7 12-15