Point Montara is located on the San Francisco Peninsula, about twenty miles south of the city. Due to heavy fog in the area, a fog signal was established in 1875. A Victorian residence housed the keepers. A backup whistle was installed in 1882.

When keeper George Koons replaced W. A. Price as principal keeper, he was very unhappy with the condition of the station. He wrote “Price was invited to resign for cursing the government that gave him a living. The miserable little Irish rebel…” (Nelson p. 81) By 1882, however, the Lighthouse Board reported “The boilers and machinery were thoroughly overhauled and repaired and are now in good condition.”

The station received gradual upgrades as area traffic increased. The first light at the point was established in 1900. It consisted of a red lens-lantern hung on a post. A new fog signal was built in 1901. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed on a skeleton tower in 1912. The light was electrified in 1919. In 1928, the current cast iron, thirty-foot tower was erected to house the Fresnel lens. The tower was the same tower taken down from Mayo Beach in Massachusetts in 1925.

During World War Two, the station was managed by the Coast Guard and served as a lookout, with several units stationed in the vicinity. After the war, the station was served by three Coast Guard keepers until it was automated in 1970.

Today, an off-shore signal has replaced the fog signal. A small modern optic has replaced the Fresnel lens. The station is part of the Golden Gate Recreational area, and is leased to Hostelling International USA. The keeper’s dwelling is now part of the hostel. The lens was on display at the San Mateo County Historical Society Museum, until the museum recently (1998) moved. It is still part of the museum’s collection.