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On his way to America, the English explorer, Sir Francis Drake, and his men stopped at the Farallones, naming them the Islands of Saint James. The men went ashore to collect seabirds and seal meat before they continued their journey, thus, becoming the first Europeans to set foot on the islands.
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In 1769, explorer Juan Francisco de Bodega renamed the islands 'Los Farallones de Frailles.'
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Traders traveling between Boston and China stopped along the Farallones to kill otters and seals for their pelts and skin. Sea otter pelts sold for nearly $40 in China and seal skins sold for $2 each. Hunters could easily kill seals on the shores of Farallones - 30,000 seal hides were collected in 1810 and 50,000 in 1812.
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With masses of people heading to San Francisco for a chance at riches during the Gold Rush, Congress authorized sixteen lighthouses to be built along the Pacific Coast. The functioning lighthouse on Farallones was completed in 1855.
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The Farallon Islands were rich with murre eggs, larger than chicken eggs and easier to get. Murre eggs not only were coveted as a source of food by forty-niners but also as a source of profit for anyone who traveled the 70 miles to the islands. Six men formed the Pacific Egg Company and took control of egg collecting on the islands. On June 2, poachers challenged the group, shots were fired and there were casualties on both sides. The Pacific Egg Co. kept their territory and business.
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Built homes for the lighthouse keepers.
