In Santa Cruz, California, this institution preserves the city’s surfing history in the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse above Steamer Lane. Established in May 1986 and opened the next month, it presents more than a century of local surf culture through photographs, boards, and video, from early mainland surfing to modern short boards. Its story reaches back to 1885, when three Hawaiian princes surfed near the mouth of the San Lorenzo River, helping link Santa Cruz to the arrival of Hawaiian traditions on the mainland. The site also carries a separate lighthouse history, reflecting changes to the Santa Cruz Light from the nineteenth century into the mid-twentieth century.