The Light Station represents an important aspect of the economic development of the Point Arena Area. Coastal traffic increased substantially during the 1860's. More goods and settlers came to the area and more products (especially lumber) were shipped out. Heavy storms and heavy fogs often made trips along the coast treacherous, and an increasing number of ships foundered or ran aground near Point Arena. Navigational aids of the sort already available elsewhere on the coast became a necessity. The oldest building at the station, the Fog Signal Building (1870), represents the initial response of the U.S. Lighthouse Service to the need for navigational aids. The lighthouse and auxiliary buildings (1908), rebuilt after the devastating San Francisco earthquake of 1906 destroyed the original tower and keeper's quarters, indicate the continuing commitment to helping local maritime commerce. Strikingly situated between the Pacific Ocean to the west and rolling farmland on the east, the Point Arena Lighthouse Station retains the character and appearance of one hundred years ago.

The Lighthouse Station also represents an important advance in engineering. When the original brick lighthouse was destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the U.S. Lighthouse Service, seeking a sturdier structure, decided to use reinforced concrete in the replacement. This material, already popular throughout the country, had never been employed on a California lighthouse. Thus, when the Point Arena Lighthouse began operation in 1908, it became the first lighthouse of reinforced concrete in the state. The new structure, built by a San Francisco chimney maker, rose 115 feet from its massive buttressing base to its lantern room on top. The circular stairway was not new (it was salvaged from the original 1870 lighthouse), but the placement of the flashing first order Fresnel lens in a vat of mercury was innovative. The structure has withstood all earthquakes since 1908, and the light, furnished first by oil lamps and then taken over by electricity, has continued to provide constant service over the years.

For more information about the Point Arena Lighthouse, visit their website at PointArenaLighthouse.com, or call 707-882-2777. The facility is open daily and offers docent lead tours of the historic light and museum.