California Lighthouse - Aruba
Posted by: 
PeterNoG
N 12° 36.823 W 070° 03.087
19P E 385799 N 1394647
This Wikipedia Entry is the California Lighthouse at the north end of L.G. Smith Boulevard near the northwest tip of Aruba.
Waymark Code: WMM87W
Location: Aruba
Date Posted: 08/09/2014
Views: 13
About 70 metres west-southwest of the lighthouse near the La Trattoria El Faro Blanco Restaurant are two signs; one in English and the other in Papiamento, the native language in Aruba.
~ text from the English version of the sign ~
History of
California Lighthouse
Built during the years 1914, 1915 and 1916, the California Lighthouse is located on the northernmost point of the island of Aruba.
The tower of this magnificent master piece is made of stone blocks that were hewn right here and is 100 feet high. The metal top of the lighthouse, which contains the light that sets a romantic setting, is 25 feet in diameter.
Although standing on a hill called Hudishibana, the lighthouse is called California Lighthouse.
This point of the island, called California, is named after a vessel that shipwrecked at the coast near Aruba's northernmost point. The ship "California" was traveling from Liverpool to Central America with passengers, merchandise, provisions, clothed and furniture.
Ironically, when the ship hit the coast, at midnight sharp (on September 23, 1891), the passengers were partying on board. It was not until daybreak that the inhabitants of Aruba saw and understood what happened.
The crew of the California had thrown much of their cargo overboard when the boat hit the coast. This meant that everybody was able to salvage the merchandise out of the water, and take it to Oranjestad to sell.
The restaurant you are now standing at used to be the dwelling of the lighthouse keepers.
The first lighthouse keeper was a young man from Curaçao called Jacob Jacobs. He learned the profession of lighthouse keeper at a lighthouse on the islet of Klien Curaçao. The last person to watch over the California Lighthouse was Federico Fingal from Aruba.
Source: National Library of Aruba
Mrs. Anna Krozendiijk-de Cuba
A special thanks goes to the governments of
The Netherlands and Aruba and Sun Development Company
for conserving this monument.
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