Anacapa Island

Anacapa Island is the one of the smallest of the Channel Islands, a group of largely uninhabited islands off the Southern California coast. The Island, marking the Santa Barbara Channel, was deemed hazardous by many ships, though a small skeletal tower was not built until 1912. However, this lighthouse was ultimately deemed insufficient after the steamer Libra crashed at Anacapa, and many in the shipping industry were egar for a more official light and fog signal station. In 1930, the Anacapa Island Lighthouse was finally built in a Spanish style, with four keepers houses, a water catchment basin, and a powerhouse for electricity.

The lighthouse was equipped with a 3rd order Chance Brothers Lens Fresnel Lens, and remains an active aid to navigation today. By 1967, 3 of the light keeper's dwellings were demolished, with more structures soon to be destroyed. However, in 1970 the National Park Service agreed to maintain the remain light station buildings save for the lighthouse and fog signal. In 1980, Anacapa Island along with 5 of the 8 Channel Islands were designated as Channel Islands National Park. Today, visitors are free to walk the grounds of Anacapa Island Light Station and observe the lens in the visitor center on the island.

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