You can know Magdalena Island Lighthouse in the following excursions

Magdalena Island Lighthouse. Punta Arenas - CHILE

Direccion: Estrecho de Magallanes

Magdalena Island is located in the Strait of Magellan, 30 miles north of Punta Arenas. The lighthouse was built there in 1901 called, coming into operation in April next year.

Originally, the installation of the lighthouse consisted of a house with five bedrooms, an office, an oil tank and a store, plus kitchen. The lighthouse tower built with iron-and 13.5-meters high was erected on a concrete block, where previously authorized units of service. The building foundation is stone and concrete walls.

The design and construction of the Magdalena Island Lighthouse is the work of Chilean engineer George Slight. Its construction responds to a policy to put to the best of this important shipping route, linking the Atlantic and the Pacific at a time when the Panama Canal was a project yet.

During its first 50 years of service, the lighthouse operated by a system of acetylene gas. A manager and his family inhabited the area, taking care to operate and maintain the facility. In 1955 it was automated, eliminating the need for a permanent endowment, and installing a wind generator to power the lamp. The house adjoining room and remained abandoned for 30 years, suffering the action of vandals who ripped up windows, doors and other implements of wood for fuel use.

In order to stop this dismantling and recovering the property assets, in 1981 the Chilean Navy gave him on loan to the National Forestry Corporation CONAF, guarding the island, which is protected as Protected Wilderness Area. This body proceeded in 1995 to partially condition the homestead, where he settled the staff responsible for monitoring the island

Magdalena Island Lighthouse is visited by travelers who venture to this area. It continues to help navigation, offering a range whose light reaches ten nautical miles.