TOURS HELP LIGHTHOUSE SHINE : PLAN TO DRAW VISITORS TO 125-YEAR-OLD HIGHWAY 1 TREASURE WORKING.

Byline: Paul Rogers Knight-Ridder Newspapers

On a foggy night in 1871, when the new light keeper sounded his foghorn at Pigeon Point Lighthouse for the first time, a posse of dairy farmers grabbed their guns and ran into the fields, thinking the shrieking noise was a grizzly bear devouring one of their cows.

Although 125 years have passed, California's tallest lighthouse - a stately white landmark 25 miles south of Half Moon Bay - remains nearly as mysterious. Millions of motorists speeding down Highway 1 through rural San Mateo County gawk at the scenic tower; a few stop, and until now, almost nobody has had the chance to go inside.

But all that is changing.

The state Department of Parks and Recreation took responsibility for tours of the lighthouse July 1, ending a decade of inconsistent tours by several private operators. Parks officials - who lease the lighthouse from the Coast Guard - have begun an ambitious program to draw in more visitors by increasing hours, launching promotions and planning big celebrations in the coming months for the building's 125th anniversary.

``To me it's a symbol of the rural, pristine nature of our coast,'' said Nelson Morosini, head docent at the lighthouse. ``People stop by here and they're just in awe.

``But it's always been a stepchild. We're hoping to make it a destination, not just a stop-off.''

The campaign has begun to pay off. Visitorship has doubled to 1,000 people a month. And starting Oct. 5, docents will keep the lighthouse open every Saturday and Sunday. By next summer they hope to have the lighthouse, with its 144 winding iron stairs and 5-foot-thick brick walls, open to the public every day.

``It's like a magnet,'' said Gary Strachan, supervising ranger at Ano Nuevo State Reserve. ``It's such a classic place. We're really going to try to get more people through there.

``Everybody asks about it. Everybody takes a picture of it,'' he said. ``And it's never really been marketed.''

Rising 115 feet over rocky coves and fields of Brussels sprouts, Pigeon Point Lighthouse is among the most distinctive landmarks on the California coastline between San Francisco and Hearst Castle.

Because its historic buildings are uncluttered by modern trappings, directors have used it as a backdrop for dozens of TV commercials - pitching everything from Saturn cars to the old Crocker Bank. Most recently, the lighthouse was the setting for a dramatic Hitchcock-style fight scene in the 1992 film ``Final Analysis,'' with Richard Gere and Kim Basinger.

``It's great for TV,'' said Morosini, 54, who works weekdays as a San Francisco insurance executive. ``It has that timeless look.''

Built in 1872, Pigeon Point Lighthouse was the 19th century equivalent of an airport control tower for California's central coast. Its light, which could be seen 20 miles out to sea, provided warning for captains in wooden ships heading for San Francisco. Heavy fog and rocks were constant threats; dozens of ships grounded and were smashed apart along the San Mateo Coast in the 1800s.

Today, most boats have radar and other navigating systems that make lighthouses obsolete. For small fishing boats and pleasure craft, however, they are still considered useful.

None of the 30 or so lighthouses along the California coast is staffed by a light keeper. Pigeon Point became fully automated in 1974, when the Coast Guard installed a 1,000-watt, revolving beacon on the outside of the building.

But the inner workings - left from an era when light keepers sat watch all night in blue coats with gold buttons - remain.

Pigeon Point's glass-enclosed lantern room contains an 8,000-pound Fresnel lens, named after its inventor, 19th century French engineer Augustin Fresnel.

A century ago, light was generated by burning lard oil from pigs. Like gears in a giant grandfather clock, a gravity-driven maze of cogs rotated the huge lens on brass wheels, sending beams of light across the pounding waves.

``Every lighthouse had different intervals,'' said Morosini. ``When you counted 10 seconds between them you knew you were at Pigeon Point.''

Later kerosene replaced the lard. Finally in 1926, electricity was installed.

Pigeon Point, named for the clipper ship Carrier Pigeon, which ran aground and sank in 1853, has been a hot spot for international wayfarers for two decades. In 1980, former Coast Guard residences were converted into a hostel, run by American Youth Hostels Inc.

Standing in the sunny lantern room one recent afternoon, Morosini squinted in the sunshine and looked out over the miles of rolling hills, fields and beaches

``We have a treasure here,'' he said. ``A lot of people have seen it, but not many have been unable to get in and experience it. I hope we can change that.''

Tours of Pigeon Point Lighthouse are conducted every Saturday and the first and third Sunday of each month. Beginning in October, they will be run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. Cost is $2 per adult and $1 for children. Volunteer docents also are needed to help with tours. For more information, call the Ano Nuevo State Reserve at [phone].