Lighthouse Point Park is located on Point Santa Cruz, adjacent to Lighthouse Field State Beach at the northern boundary of Monterey Bay, about 25 miles (40 km) north-northwest of Monterey and in Santa Cruz, California. Point Santa Cruz is a marine terrace eroded by waves and later uplifted. It is one of at least five emergent terraces along the north coast of Monterey Bay, a geologically complex region marked by numerous faults that form the crustal North American–Pacific plate boundary. The terraces’ uplift is chiefly associated with the Loma Prieta Fault and the San Andreas Fault, located 12–19 miles (20–30 km) inland, and, to a lesser extent, with the San Gregorio Fault, 3–6 miles (5–10 km) offshore. They were primarily carved from Santa Cruz Mudstone, a hard, medium-to-thick-bedded organic mudstone of Late Miocene age. Its durability and low solubility largely account for the excellent preservation of these terraces along this stretch of coast. Beneath the Santa Cruz Mudstone lies the very thick-bedded, friable Santa Margarita Sandstone; below that is the sandy siltstone and mudstone of the Monterey Formation. During Pleistocene glacial periods, sea levels dropped by an estimated 495 feet (150 m), positioning ancient coastlines more than 3 miles (5 km) seaward of the present Santa Cruz shoreline. The tectonic uplift rate is about 0.04 inches (1 mm) per year, while sea-level changes during glacial-to-interglacial transitions have been inferred to reach 1.2 inches (30 mm) per year. Thus, the wave-cut platforms likely eroded concurrently with sea level incursions. The lowest marine terrace, represented by Point Santa Cruz, was carved by ocean waves about 80,000 years ago when the rock layer was lower and submerged. Since then, sea levels have fluctuated and the land has uplifted; today, the terrace is capped by a thin layer of sand and gravel deposited by ancient waves.

In the 16th century, before European arrival, over 10,000 Native Americans lived along the central California coast between Big Sur and the Golden Gate. These indigenous peoples comprised approximately forty bands of 100–250 members each, with no band considered part of a larger tribe. When Spaniards and other explorers arrived, they attempted to classify these bands as a single group, calling them ‘Costenos’ (Coastal People), later rendered ‘Costanoans.’ This term persisted for hundreds of years until descendants chose to call themselves Ohlones. The Ohlone subsisted on the abundant natural plant and animal life of the coast. Acorns were likely the most important plant food. Hunting, trapping and, in some cases, poisoning game were common pursuits among adult males. Prey included deer, elk, bears and antelope, while whales, sea lions, otters and seals were also hunted along the coast. Smaller mammals and various bird species were occasionally eaten. Key fish species included steelhead trout, salmon, sturgeon, and lampreys, and mussels, abalone, clams and oysters from the tidelands were the most commonly eaten shellfish. An extensive trade network linked the bands and extended to tribes farther east. Cinnabar—used as a pigment—was one of the most important trade commodities; other items included abalone shells, projectile points, obsidian, dogs, tobacco, hides, bows, baskets, salt, acorns and fish. Spanish colonization of Central California began in 1770 with the establishment of missions and presidios. The mission system was designed so that no mission was more than a day’s ride from another. La Misión de la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz—Mission Santa Cruz—was founded in 1791 near indigenous villages that became a source of labor and converts for the mission priests. It was named for the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, adopting the name given to a nearby creek by missionary priest Juan Crespi, who accompanied explorer Gaspar de Portolá when he camped on the banks of the San Lorenzo River in 1769. As Mission Santa Cruz developed, the coastal terrace lands north to Point Año Nuevo became its primary livestock grazing areas. In 1821, after Mexico gained independence from Spain and secularized the missions, mission lands were granted to prominent families as ranchos.

In 1848 the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War, and the westernmost portion of Alta California soon became the state of California. Santa Cruz was a busy port in the mid-1800s, with ships anchoring in the harbor to load redwood, lime and various agricultural products. The US Congress allocated funding for a lighthouse on Point Santa Cruz, but years were spent determining the rightful owner of the property as several overlapping land grants complicated the claim. In 1868 the government acquired 10 acres (4 ha) for a lighthouse reserve, and work began on the structure. The original lighthouse was a two-story wooden building with a lantern room housing a fifth-order Fresnel lens. In 1879 it was moved 300 feet (91 m) inland because of shoreline erosion. In 1913 the original lens was replaced with a more powerful fourth-order lens made by Louis Sautter. In 1917 the lighthouse was electrified; in 1941 the original structure was deactivated and replaced with a simple wooden tower. The City of Santa Cruz signed an agreement with the US Coast Guard to lease the inactive lighthouse and surrounding grounds for use as a park. However, with growing fears of US involvement in World War II the government decided to retain the strategic property. A caretaker was hired to live in the lighthouse, maintain the property and monitor the light. Nicholas Dowell, a foreman for the local electric company, moved into the lighthouse with his wife, daughter and grandson. Coast Guardsmen occupied the upper levels and used the tower as a lookout. In 1942 the area surrounding the lighthouse, now known as Lighthouse Field, became home to the 54th Coast Artillery Regiment, an all-black unit tasked with protecting the nearby coastline. In 1965 a surfer drowned near Point Santa Cruz; in 1967 a commemorative brick lighthouse was built to replace the wooden tower. Today the lighthouse serves as a memorial, an aid to navigation and the home of the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, overlooking the internationally renowned surfing hotspot Steamer Lane. Read more here and here. Explore more of Lighthouse Point Park and Point Santa Cruz here: