Last Whaling Station Ruins, California

The charred remains of an old wharf on Point San Pablo is said to be the site of the last operating whaling station in the United States, finally closed by federal order in 1971. It continued as a rendering plant until it burned down around 1990. Before fossil fuels, living fuels such as whale oil were used, and at the end of the 19th century, San Francisco was the principal whaling port in the world, surpassing more famous American whaling ports like New Bedford.