The Mendocino Variations
Mendocino Headlands
Coastal Living
Point Cabrillo Light Station
Point Cabrillo Lighthouse
The lighthouse was built in response to the many shipwrecks that occurred in the treacherous and busy bays of the Mendocino coast.
The ecosystem changed after the California gold rush. In 1850, a clipper ship named Frolic wrecked just north of Point Cabrillo. Although the attempt to salvage goods from that ship failed, the attempt led to the discovery of the redwood forest by San Francisco businessmen. San Francisco was a booming town in need of wood, and soon there were towns and mills scattered along the Mendocino coast. Coastal shipping resulted in more shipwrecks, leading to the construction of the lighthouse.
