Along the California Coast

          Anacapa Island Lighthouse   (Text Below)

Anacapa Island is located 11 miles off the coast of Ventura County on the south side of the Santa Barbara Channel east entrance. At 277 feet above sea level the Lighthouse, constructed in 1932 to replace a skeleton tower built in 1912, was one of the last built in America. Due to a rash of shipwrecks mariners had been asking for a light in this location but the cost of construction, maintenance and manning in such an isolated location delayed the effort. As with all the other U.S lighthouses, Anacapa Island is now automated.

Commercial fishermen frequent the waters around the island and divers are said to search for the wreck of a Spanish galleon, sunk in 1700s just off coast. Seals and seal lions lounge on its rocky beaches.

The California Grey whales pass thru the channel on their annual 8000 mile migration to and from Baja on the western coast of Mexico to Alaskan waters. The lighthouse can be seen and photographed from the whale-watch boats which leave from both the Ventura and Oxnard Channel Islands harbors during the migration season from December to March.

The lighthouse recently underwent a $350,000 renovation during which it was completely enclosed in plastic blankets so the asbestos, used in the original construction, could be removed. The renovation probably cost ten times what the original construction cost.


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© 1997, Pete Amass  
Date: March 9,1997