In a coastal California town, three iconic smokestacks are coming down. A community mourns
MORRO BAY, Calif. — In this foggy Central Coast fishing town, two icons tower above everything.
One is Morro Rock, the 23-million-year-old plug of an ancient volcano, rising 576 feet out of the sea. The other is a trident of 450-foot concrete smokestacks, built half a century ago for a seaside power plant.
Together, they give Morro Bay its nickname: Three Stacks and a Rock.
Outsiders may see the humble smokestacks as industrial blight. But here, they became a cherished symbol of the town's working-class ethos.
Fishermen used them as a lighthouse beacon to guide them home from sea. Local surfers paddled out knowing where the plant's outflow would warm up the waves. Shop owners sold T-shirts, coffee mugs and paintings bearing their image.
A brewery was named Three Stacks and A Rock. A bistro was dubbed STAX.
But times change. The planet warmed. The power plant became a relic in an era when California is moving toward renewable energy. It shut down eight years ago, and it's not coming back.
Soon, the smokestacks will come
