Formerly a Mexican territory, California became part of the U.S. after the Mexican War of 1848. The famous Gold Rush began in 1849, and the first lighthouses were built a few years later. These early lights, like the Point Pinos Light shown at right, were built in a what was then a typical New England style. Ironically, there are no examples of this style surviving in New England, so the only place to see these traditional New England lighthouses is in California.
Today the state's long coast has about 40 lighthouses, of which at least 24 are active. The coastal lighthouses include many famous and well visited light stations, but there are also some very little known towers. The lightship WAL 605 Relief, owned by the U.S. Lighthouse Society of San Francisco, is berthed in Oakland. There is no state preservation society, but local societies support most of the coastal lighthouses.
Interest in lighthouses is certainly high, and several new lighthouses have been built recently in Santa Cruz and Long Beach.
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