Año Nuevo Island was once a long jutting point that the first Spanish explorers to sail past named Punto Año Nuevo, or New Year's Point, but erosion since the 1600s turned it into an island separated from the mainland by a rough and dangerous channel. Lighthouse stations were essential for protecting life and property along treacherous coastlines, and the run-down buildings are the last remains of the lighthouse station there. Living quarters for two families were built with picket fences around the yards to keep out the seals, and a rain water basin, cistern, and tank supplied fresh water while the families lived on the island year round. After protecting the coast for 76 years, the station was decommissioned in 1948 when the lighthouse's functions were automated offshore, and seals, sea lions, and birds quickly took over the place. The weather-beaten structures, as well as the island and its wildlife, are protected as part of the Reserve.
