Point Hueneme Light
A buff-colored tower rises from the shoreline at Port Hueneme, its clean Art Deco lines standing in quiet contrast to the rugged California coast. Point Hueneme Light has marked the southeastern entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel since 1874, guiding vessels past one of the most treacherous stretches of the Southern California coast. The current tower, completed in 1941, replaced an earlier structure that had served mariners for nearly seven decades.
A Century of Service
The original lighthouse was completed in 1874, designed by architect Paul J. Pelz in the same style as several sister stations along the Pacific Coast. When a violent storm destroyed the nearby wharf in 1938, the Oxnard Harbor District formed and rebuilt both the port and its lighthouse. The new Art Deco tower was finished in 1941, equipped with a fourth-order Fresnel lens that had served in the original structure. That historic lens remained in operation until 2013, when the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board voted to retire it for preservation and public display.
The Wreck of La Jenelle
On April 13, 1970, the veteran passenger liner La Jenelle lay at anchor offshore, awaiting conversion to a floating restaurant. Her owners had left her in the open ocean to save on moorage costs, with only a single watchman aboard. When a storm rolled in, the ship slipped her anchor cables and drove onto the rocks. The California State Lands Commission ordered her scrapped where she lay. Today, remnants of the steel vessel still cling to the shore, slowly being claimed by the sea and the elements.
The Lighthouse Today
The lighthouse remains federal property, operated by the U.S. Coast Guard. In 2008, the City of Port Hueneme dedicated the Lighthouse Promenade, a half-mile walkway from Sunset Beach to the tower itself. Members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary serve as volunteer lighthouse keepers, conducting tours and maintaining this piece of maritime heritage for visitors who make the coastal pilgrimage.
From the Air
Approaching from the northwest along the Santa Barbara Channel, the lighthouse appears as a distinctive buff-colored structure at the Port of Hueneme breakwater. Look for the long sandy beach of Hueneme Sunset Beach stretching to the west. The Channel Islands are visible on the horizon to the southwest. Nearest airports: Oxnard Airport (KOXR) 4nm northeast, Camarillo Airport (KCMA) 8nm east.