Bay CrossingsCover
StoryThe Mighty Quinn’s
By Mary Swift-Swan
Quinn’s
Lighthouse Restaurant was first constructed in 1903 as the
Oakland Harbor Entrance Lighthouse by the US Lighthouse
Service. It cost $19,000 to replace the original 1890
structure, which had been badly damaged by marine borers.
The building was first located on the north side of the
entrance to the Oakland Estuary. It also served as a home
for the lighthouse keepers and their families until the
Lighthouse Service became part of the Coast Guard, in 1939.
From 1939 until the entire structure was moved to its
current location in 1965, attending lighthouse keepers’
families lived ashore.
Originally, the lantern room contained a
5th Order Fresnel lens, which produced a flashing white
light every 5 seconds that could be seen for 14 miles. A
giant 3,500 pound fog bell was located on the porch and
struck every 5 seconds during periods of fog. In 1918, the
fog signal was changed from a bell to an air powered
diaphone for a signal which sounded a 2-second blast every
15 seconds.
Today’s Quinn’s was established in 1984, after a complete
renovation of the building. Great care and respect were
taken to preserve the structure and historic features of the
building. Quinn’s owner Bodo Echichler shares the salty,
rich history of Quinn’s with all patrons, providing them
with free, salted peanuts a-plenty in the upstairs pub and
there’s no penalty for throwing the shells on the floor.
L.J. Quinn’s Lighthouse Restaurant serves a wide variety of
original and regional dishes, including many seafood and
quality meat choices, several vegetarian options, and a
well-received kids’ menu. Quinn’s is one of the all-time
great places to get a burger. A Quinn Burger is so far
beyond the normal definition of a great burger that it is
just not fair to the competition. They also serve pitchers
of “Arnold Palmer,” a true summer refresher combining ice
tea and lemonade, plus there are many beers to choose from
including 8 tap beers and 54 bottled varieties. With “Happy
Hour” foods half off from 5-7 pm, M-F, and free Sea Chantey
performances by those pirates Billy Bones every Thursday, it
is a fun place to bring the whole family. Quinn’s is just a
few miles from Jack London Square, along the Embarcadero, at
1951 Embarcadero Cove, Oakland. Call 510.536.2050, fax
510.532.4156, or e-mail: BodoAE@aol.com. For directions, go
to www.quinnslighthouse.com.
Who
was the Mighty Quinn?
The legend goes he was born September 7, 1857, as Richard
Turner Quinn, the oldest son of Sir Robert Quinn, a British
soldier, and Elizabeth Turner Quinn, a wealthy aristocrat.
Young Quinn proved to be a disappointment to his father, who
wanted him to be a soldier. Richard preferred the pen and
tended to spend hours writing. Woefully, his stories were
rampant with plagiarism and he was forced to flee the
Empire.
When he arrived at the immigration office,
he was asked his name and trade. “I’m Quinn, the writer,” he
replied. Unfortunately, the clerk thought he said fighter,
so Richard was sent to Oakland to capture and kill the
coast’s most notorious pirates, perilous Pete and his wife
Mary Lou. They were widely feared and their sailing vessel,
the Sea Jay, was known in all the seven seas.
It was known that their hideout was
somewhere near Oakland, hidden in a peaceful estuary. More
because he wished for more material for his stories than for
his bravery, Richard led a small band of fighters to the
pirate’s lair and dealt a final blow to the infamous
cut-throats. Actually, the Mighty Quinn, as he was known,
had set perilous Pete and Mary Lou adrift in a dinghy,
knowing that they would return and provide him with a
wonderful conclusion to his story.
The
authorities thought that it was strange that the Mighty
Quinn volunteered to be the only keeper for the lighthouse,
built on the site of the pirates’ den, yet he remained there
for forty years. He kept a vigilant watch, always waiting
for the pirates to return, waiting for that final episode.
To this day, whenever a sailing boat approaches, all eyes
turn to look, as if the ghost of Richard Turner Quinn makes
everyone a part of his vigil.
Lighthouse Notes
(Sworn to be a true story by many in the Navy.) One night at
sea, a ship’s captain saw what looked like the lights of
another ship heading toward
![](DX01.jpg) |
Stephanie
Keenan graces our July cover and Quinn’s
Lighthouse most weekday afternoons, where she
works for proprietor Bodo Eichler, famous for
his respectfully ribald bathroom art as well
fine dining and gracious service. We love our
waterfront bars like we love our children, which
to say equally well, but it must be said that
Quinn’s never fails to put a twinkle in our eye.
If you haven’t been; go. If you’re a regular;
see you soon. |
him. He had his signal man blink to the
other ship: “Change your course 10 degrees south.” The reply
came back: “Change your course 10 degrees north.” The ship’s
captain answered: “I am a captain, change your course
south!” The answer: “I am a seaman first class, change your
course north.” This infuriated the captain so he had the
signal man reply: “Dammit, I say change your course south; I
am on a battleship!” To which the reply came back, “And I
say change your course north. I’m in a lighthouse.”
“L.J. Quinn’s Restaurant is a reminder of
our maritime heritage and as a tribute to those faithful
‘wickies’ (affectionate term for the keepers), who served
the mariner and humanity with such dedication for so many
years.” Wayne Wheeler, President, U.S. Lighthouse Society.
For additional information on lighthouses, contact The U.S.
Lighthouse Society, 244 Kearny St., San Francisco, CA 94108.
Call (415) 362-7255 or contact Bay Crossings for shipboard
tours passing by the many lighthouses of the Bay.