And finally tonight, some of the little-known stories of the women who operated lighthouses across the country, saving lives and keeping history.

John Yang brings us this story of strength and beauty.

Surfers and seabirds called this stretch of the California coastline home.

It can be dramatic and breathtaking.

But the rocky jagged shore and shoals, sometimes shrouded in fog,

can also be treacherous for boats and ships that get too close.

For generations, the Point Pinos Lighthouse and Pacific Grove has stood century, warning

mariners to keep their distance.

When it was built in the mid-1850s, this was an isolated outpost.

The nearest town, Monterey, was about four miles away, reachable only by a twisty dirt and

sand trail.

Those on the east coast who wanted to get to the

West Coast generally traveled by sailing boat, a six-month ordeal that took them around Cape Horn

at the tip of South America. This is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the U.S.

Pacific Coast. Two women have been principal lighthouse keepers here,

dating back to 1856 when Charlotte Layton became the first woman to have that job on the

West Coast. Charlotte Layton, who was the first, took over when her husband was killed.

She sort of knew what to do, and was widowed and the people around the local

community wanted her to have a job so she wouldn't be destitute. Nancy McDowell is the

docent coordinator at Point Pinos. How did her husband die? He was with the group that went out to the

house where this bandit was, and he went to the back

door, and that's where the bandit came out and shot the three of them that were back there.

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