The light lies adjacent to the state's Cattle Point Natural Resources Conservation Area[2] and, since 2013, is part of the San Juan Islands National Monument.

[3] The first light at Cattle Point was a lens lantern on a post erected in 1888.

[5] The modern 34-foot (10 m), octagonal, concrete tower on Cattle Point was erected in 1935.

[4] The lighthouse received a temporary makeover in 1984, when it was used as a backdrop for an Exxon television commercial.

[6] The Coast Guard announced plans to reinforce the structure, which was in danger of collapse from the forces of erosion, during the summer of 2010.