Cattle Point Light stands at the southeastern tip of San Juan Island, overlooking the meeting of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Haro Strait, and the San Juan Channel. Its role in navigation began with a simple post light erected in 1888, followed by a U.S. Navy radio compass station in 1921. The present lighthouse, a 34-foot octagonal concrete tower, was built in 1935 and later automated in the late 1950s, when its original lantern was replaced. The site, now beside a conservation area and within the San Juan Islands National Monument, is notable for its exposed coastal setting and its layered history of navigational aids.