in 1884, the portuguese commission on lighthouses and beacons decided on the need for construction of a lighthouse at cabo raso. the original plan was modified in 1893, because it was going to prove too expensive. the cheaper solution involved building a house for the lighthouse keeper, with 4 rooms. the light was installed on a slab positioned in front of one of the windows of the house, and, after its use, was moved into the interior of the room on a wooden carriage that rested on rails. this lighthouse went into operation on january 1, 1894, with a fixed oil light. in 1914, a sound signal was added, created by a tube of compressed air. the following year, the light of the lighthouse was finally transferred to the current iron tower, which is painted red and has a range of twenty nautical miles.