A lookout cabin, situated on the knoll above the harbor and reportedly predating the Caire ownership, provided a vantage point during the 19th and early 20th centuries from which a watchman could track incoming boats and relay the news by telephone to the Main Ranch.

Margaret Holden Eaton, a former island resident, recalled that early in the century the French watchman regularly provided her fisherman husband with a large cup of fresh milk.

Today, this lookout is owned and maintained by The Nature Conservancy and houses interpretive exhibits. It is now known as Harvey's Lookout in memory of Harvey D. Carlson, who served as the The Nature Conservancy's Santa Cruz Island Preserve Program Director before assuming responsibility for The Nature Conservancy's programs throughout the state.