Not the Article, the Picture

[Grover1]

From a travelogue on Aruba from The Atlanta Journal-Constituion

California Lighthouse

(Photo/AP)

(JIC you are interested, here's the article ... http://www.ajc.com/services/content/tra ... ba_NY.html )

[island]

Is there no one on this board who might be the least bit curious as to why this lighthouse in Aruba is California Lighthouse?

[Grover1]

Ok ... I looked it up ...

From Aruba.com
The old stone California lighthouse stands as a silent sentry in the area known as "Hudishibana," near the island's northwestern tip. The lighthouse is named for the U.S ship - the California - which sunk about two years previous to its construction in 1910. The site offers spectacular sunsets as the final shades of sunshine give way to a brilliant azure canopy. Perched on a high seaside elevation, the lighthouse has become one of Aruba's scenic trademarks and offers a picture perfect view of the island's western coastline of sandy beaches, rolling sand dunes and rocky coral shorelines.

(No Photo Credit)

[island]

Yes. And I have been sitting on this for the past couple of days.

from: http://www.arubabound.com/faq.htm#calif

How did the California area get its name?
The original name of this area was Hudishibana. California was the name of a steamship shipwrecked of this wild coast in the middle of the night- September 23rd, 1891. The accident resulted in the death of one crew member- the ship's engineer.
Onboard there was a great deal of merchandise such as clothing, provisions & even furniture. All of these items were thrown overboard in an attempt to keep the ship afloat. As goods floated up to the shore it was picked up by locals & to be sold in the markets.
2 police officers from Curacao were called to Aruba to help stop the locals from stealing the goods as they floated ashore. Traveling to the northern edge of the island, they stopped & asked for directions. They were not aware that California was a ship, their orders were simply to help local police. The locals thought it amusing that the cops were looking for a "place" that no one had ever heard of. Thus the nickname & reason why this area has became known as California.