Anacapa Island Light stands on East Anacapa at the eastern entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel, helping guide ships through one of Southern California’s busiest coastal approaches. A light was first established there in 1912, and the present permanent lighthouse and fog signal were built in 1932 as the last major light station constructed on the West Coast. Before automation in 1966, Coast Guard families lived at the station. The island also has a deeper history, from Indigenous naming traditions to sightings by Cabrillo in 1542 and renaming by later expeditions. Since 1980, the active light has stood within Channel Islands National Park, while the island also became known for successful rat eradication completed in 2014.