Mount Diablo’s historic summit beacon was lit Wednesday, Nov. 11, to honor veterans, with its next annual lighting set for Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
Contra Costa News reported that a Veterans Day ceremony in Danville included a countdown to illuminate the light, known as the “Eye of Diablo.”
The beacon’s annual Dec. 7 lighting commemorates those who served and sacrificed at Pearl Harbor, according to Save Mount Diablo.
From aviation aid to remembrance
Save Mount Diablo traces the beacon’s first lighting to aviator Charles Lindbergh in 1928. It originally helped guide aircraft and operated nightly until Dec. 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The light returned Dec. 7, 1964, at a summit ceremony attended by Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz. He proposed illuminating it each Dec. 7 as a tribute to military service and sacrifice.
The tradition later expanded. Since 2022, the beacon has also been illuminated on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
Save Mount Diablo oversaw a restoration in 2013 on behalf of California State Parks. Businesses contributed equipment and services, while the Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation offered matching donations of up to $50,000 toward the project’s $100,000 fundraising goal.
Residents can check Save Mount Diablo’s beacon page for information about the annual remembrance tradition.
