[1] The point was granted as a part of Rancho El Sur in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to Juan Bautista Alvarado.

The 725-ton steamer USS Ventura was the fastest ship in Goodall, Nelson & Perkins’ fleet; she could do thirteen knots.

[4][3] Other ships lost in the area include the 493 tons (447 t) S.S. Los Angeles (originally USRC Wayanda), which ran aground in 1894, the Majestic in 1909, the Shna-Yak in 1916, the Thomas L. Wand in 1922, the Babinda in 1923, the Rhine Maru, the Panama and the S. Catania in 1930, and the Howard Olson in 1956.

[4] The coast off Point Sur Lighthouse was the location of the sinking of the United States Navy airship USS Macon (ZRS-5) in 1935.

In 2000, the nearby Naval Facility Point Sur, except for one building retained by the U.S. Navy, was transferred to the California State Park system.

[9][10] The land formation later known as Point Sur is visible at sea for 10 miles (16 km) and was first mentioned in the logs of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in 1552.

Sebastian Viscaino visited the area in the early 1600s, and his 1603 map names the promontory "Punta que Parece Isla" (meaning "Point that looks like an island").

In 1769, explorer Miguel Costansó, a member of the Portolá expedition, named the point "Morro de la Trompa" because it looked like a rock in the shape of a trumpet.