It seems fitting that early northwestern settlers dubbed this area Point Alki, a Chinook word meaning “by-and-by” or “all in good time.” It may have been overlooked by commerce, but more than 150 years ago, landowners realized the Point was a vital day mark for mariners and a landmark for ships entering Elliott Bay from Puget Sound, bound for Seattle.

In 1887, the US Lighthouse Service established this beacon and it was first lit in 1913. The first light keeper, Hans Martin Hanson, was paid $15 a month for his services. After his death in 1900, the responsibility for the beacon passed to Hanson’s son Edmund.        

Although the Lighthouse Board decided to construct a fog signal at the site, several years passed before Hanson’s heirs agreed to sell the parcel. In 1910, the government acquired 1.5 acres for $9,000 and two years later, a small, square stucco building with a brick tower was constructed at the end of Alki Point. The keeper’s cottage was built nearby and the new station began operating in 1913. Inside the 37-foot tower was a Fourth Order Fresnel Lens.

The light was automated in 1984 and a more modern optic was installed in 1998. Because the US Coast Guard continues to operate Alki Point as an important navigational aid, the old building is not regularly open to the public, though there are scheduled tours. The keeper’s quarters are now home to active Coast Guard families.

Alki Point beach is popular for scuba divers, especially because of the deep slopes out in front of the lighthouse. However, currents are swift, which is not surprising, given the convergence of busy Elliott Bay with Puget Sound. The little lighthouse remains an important marker for divers and mariners alike.