Oregon Lighthouses

Columbia River Lighthouses
**** Lightship WLV 604 Columbia

1950. Decommissioned 1979. 617-ton 2-masted steel lightship, length 128 ft (39.0 m), beam 30 ft (9.1 m). Vessels painted red, superstructure white, masts and stack buff. G. Meador has a good photo. Most lightships serve several stations during their careers, but WLV 604 served its entire career on the Columbia station off the mouth of the Columbia River. One of the best preserved U.S. lightships, it is operational. The large (40 ft long) buoy that replaced the lightship from 1979 to 1993 is also on display, floating next to the ship. Moored at the Columbia River Maritime Museum on US 30 (Marine Drive) near 17th Street in downtown Astoria; Google has a satellite view. Site and museum open daily, ship open to guided tours. Owner/site manager: Columbia River Maritime Museum. ARLHS USA-184.

Warrior Rock (2)

1930s (station established 1889). Active; focal plane 28 ft (9 m); white flash every 4 s. 25 ft (8 m) octagonal concrete tower mounted on the original square sandstone foundation. Entire structure painted white. The lighthouse was repaired in 1969 after being seriously damaged in a collison with a barge. Ruins of the original keeper's house (basement and chimney) are nearby, hidden by forest; the building burned sometime in the early 1990s. The historic fog bell (1855, previously used at Cape Disappointment WA and West Point WA) is on display at the Columbia County Courthouse in St. Helens. There is a half-size replica of the 1889 lighthouse behind the older courthouse, nearby. Rudy and Alice Rico also have a web page for the lighthouse, and the Shanklins have a closeup photo of the tower. The city of St. Helens hoped to start water taxi service to the area of the lighthouse, with hiking trails and historical markers adjacent to the building, but none of this seems to have happened. Located on the northerneastern tip of Sauvie Island, in the Columbia River south of St. Helens. Google has a satellite view. Island accessible by bridge from US 30 near Burlington; lighthouse accessible by 3 mile (5 km) hike from the end of Reeder Road or by a short boat ride from the marina in St. Helens. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-977; Admiralty G4687.4; USCG 6-11060.

Pacific Coast Lighthouses

Tillamook Rock

1881 (George Ballantyne). Inactive since 1957. 62 ft (19 m) square cylindrical brick tower atop 1-story brick keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white, lantern and watch room black. In 1980 the lighthouse was gutted inside and converted into a columbarium, a repository for the ashes of the deceased. Lighthouse Digest has a story on the history of the light station. Coast Guard Group Astoria has a dramatic aerial photo as well as a closeup photo. Visible from Ecola State Park north of Cannon Beach. Located on a rock in tumultuous seas about 1 mile (1.5 km) off Tillamook Head and 6 miles (10 km) southwest of Seaside; Google has a satellite view. One of the most inaccessible of all U.S. lighthouses. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Eternity at Sea Columbarium. ARLHS USA-849.

*** Cape Meares (1) 1890. Inactive since 1963. 40 ft (12 m) octagonal tower, brick sheathed in iron, attached to a workroom. Tower painted white, lantern black. The original 1° Fresnel lens, vandalized after the lighthouse was decommissioned, has been partially restored and is still mounted in the tower (one of the four bullseye prisms is missing). The keeper's house and other light station buildings were all demolished around 1968 after severe vandalism. The modern beacon (1963), 17 ft (5 m) tall, is a navigation light mounted atop a square cinderblock workroom (focal plane 232 ft (71 m); white flash every 15 s, day and night). The visitor center is a reconstruction (1978) of the original workroom. Britten has great photos. In 2003, Oregon State Parks carried out a $310,000 restoration of the lighthouse. Friends of Cape Meares Lighthouse supports the light station. Located on a bluff about 200 ft (60 m) above the ocean at the end of Lighthouse Road about 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Tillamook. Site and tower open daily April 1 through October 31, weekends in spring and fall (free). Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: Oregon State Parks (Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint). ARLHS USA-128; Admiralty G4516; USCG 6-0675.

Cape Meares Light; anonymous Creative Commons photo

**** Yaquina Head

1873. Active; focal plane 162 ft (49 m); two white flashes every 20 s, flashes separated by 2 s, day and night. 93 ft (28 m) brick tower attached to a 1-story brick oil house. The original Barbier & Fenestre 1° Fresnel lens (1868) is still in use. Tower painted white, lantern black, lantern roof red. Sibling of Pigeon Point CA. The original principal keeper's house was demolished in 1938, but the assistant keeper's house, two more modern keeper's houses (1922 and 1938), oil house (1889), barn (1886), stable, and other light station buildings are preserved. A classic: one of the best known and most often visited lighthouses of the Pacific Northwest, and the tallest Oregon lighthouse. Yaquina Lights works for its restoration. In 2005, a $1 million appropriation from Congress funded a thorough restoration of the lens and lighthouse; Lighthouse Digest has a March 2006 article describing this project. The restoration was completed in June 2006. Britten has a fine photo, and Anderson has photos and historical information. Site open, tower open daily (entry fee to area). Located at the end of Lighthouse Drive off US 101 in Agate Beach, 2 miles (3 km) north of Newport; Google has a satellite view. Owner: U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Site manager: Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. ARLHS USA-907; Admiralty G4506; USCG 6-0650.

**** Yaquina Bay

1871. Reactivated (inactive 1874-1996, now privately maintained); focal plane 165 ft (50 m); continuous white light. 51 ft (16 m) square cylindrical wood tower mounted on the roof of a 2-story wood keeper's house; 250 mm lens. Building painted white with red trim; lantern and gallery are painted bright red. Britten has a good photo. Though it served only briefly as a lighthouse, the building was a lifesaving station for many years. Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses worked for its restoration and reactivation. Believed to be the oldest building in Newport, the lighthouse is now a museum. Lighthouse painted in 2000. Lighthouse Digest has a November 2005 article on the history of the station. Located on the north side of the Yaquina Bay entrance in Newport, just off US 101; Google has a satellite view. Site open, museum and tower open daily year round (free, donations requested). Group tours can be arranged and the lighthouse is a popular site for weddings. Owner: Oregon State Parks (Yaquina Bay State Park). Site manager: Yaquina Lights. ARLHS USA-906; USCG 6-9613.

Cleft of the Rock (Cape Perpetua)

1976. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 110 ft (33.5 m); flash every 10 s, alternating red and white. 35 ft (11 m) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 2-story A-frame residence. Lighthouse painted whitewith buff trim. The lighthouse is a replica of the 1898 Fiddle Reef Light on Vancouver Island, Canada; the acrylic lens is from the Solander Island Light, off the west coast of Vancouver Island. The lighthouse was built by author Jim Gibbs (former keeper at Tillamook Reef Light) and was accepted by the Coast Guard as a privately maintained aid to navigation. It's remarkable that this prominent headland never had an official lighthouse. Located just off US 101 at Cape Perpetua (milepost 166), about 2 miles (3 km) south of Yachats. Good view from the shoulder of US 101 nearby. Site and tower closed (private residence). Owner/site manager: private. ARLHS USA-964; Admiralty G4487; USCG 6-0640.

**** Heceta Head 1894. Active (maintained by State of Oregon); focal plane 205 ft (62.5 m); white flash every 10 s, day and night. 56 ft (17 m) stucco-clad brick tower attached to workroom; the original Chance Brothers 1° Fresnel lens is still in use. Lighthouse painted white; lantern roof is red. The original 2-story Queen Anne-style wood keeper's house, known as Heceta House, is now used as a bed and breakfast inn. Two oil houses and a barn are also preserved; one of the oil houses is used as a generator house. Surely one of the most dramatically beautiful light stations of the world, high above the Pacific and surrounded by the Siuslaw National Forest. Britten has a fine collection of photos. Sea Lion Caves has a web cam with a live (somewhat distant) view of the lighthouse. In 2000, the Coast Guard proposed to abandon use of the first-order lens after the rotating mechanism broke down. A compromise was worked out to restore the lens, and in February 2001 it was carefully dismantled, restored and cleaned. Lighthouse Digest has an October 2001 article on the project. The light was relit on June 16. As part of the compromise, ownership of the lighthouse was transferred to Oregon State Parks. Note: Heceta is pronounced "ha-see-ta." Located off US 101 about 15 miles (25 km) north of Florence. Accessible by a short hiking trail from a state park parking area. Site open (park entry fee), tower open to guided tours mid-March through October and on December weekends; keeper's house also open to guided tours late May through early September. Owner: Oregon State Parks (lighthouse) and U.S. Forest Service (keeper's house). Site manager: Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint. ARLHS USA-368; Admiralty G4486; USCG 6-0635.

Heceta Head Light, June 2007 Creative Commons photo by Dan Hershman

*** Umpqua River (2)

1894 (station established 1857, but inactive 1864-1894). Active; focal plane 165 ft (50 m); flashes every 5 s, two white flashes and then one red flash, day and night. 65 ft (20 m) stucco-clad brick tower attached to a workroom; the original F. Barbier 1° Fresnel lens is still in use. Lighthouse painted white; lantern roof is red. The original keeper's house has been demolished, but the former Umpqua River Coast Guard Station now serves as the Coastal Visitor Center and lighthouse museum. Oregon's oldest light station and a sibling of Heceta Head Light; these two light towers are similar to the much earlier Cape Blanco Light. Britten has excellent photos showing the unusual red and clear prisms of the lens; Anderson has an excellent web page for the lighthouse. Public protests saved the lens when the revolving mechanism broke down in 1983. In 2005 the Jeld-Wen Company donated badly needed new doors and windows. In 2007, Senator Gordon Smith introduced legislation that would transfer ownership of the lighthouse to Douglas County. The lighthouse was restored during an 18-month project in 2007-08 and reopened on May 1, 2008. The light station is adjacent to Umpqua Lighthouse State Park (camping available). Located off US 101 about 1 mile (1.5 km) south of Winchester Bay, on the south side of the river entrance. Site open (free), tower open daily May through September (small fee). Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: Douglas County Parks. ARLHS USA-866; Admiralty G4472; USCG 6-0620.

Cape Arago (Cape Gregory) (3)

1934 (station established 1866). Inactive since 2006. 44 ft (13.5 m) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower attached to a 1-story concrete fog signal building; solar-powered VRB-25 aerobeacon. Lighthouse painted white, lantern black; roofs of the building and the lantern are red. Sibling of Point Robinson WA. The original 4° Fresnel lens is displayed at the North Bend Coast Guard Station. The FA 232 fog horn remains in use. NOAA C-MAN automatic weather station. This lighthouse replaced a 1908 building that remained in use as the keeper's house until it was demolished in 1957. The building was painted and repaired in 1998, but the light was deactivated on New Year's Day 2006. Local Native American tribes, which have been maintaining the lighthouse grounds, have expressed interest in working with other local groups to restore and reactivate the lighthouse. In 2007, Senator Gordon Smith introduced legislation that would transfer ownership of the lighthouse to the tribes. Anderson has good photos and historical information. Located on Chief's Island just off the coast about 3 miles (5 km) west of Charleston and 2 miles (3 km) north of the actual cape; Google has a satellite view. Visible from an overlook on the Cape Arago highway west of Charleston. The shoreline opposite the lighthouse is accessible by a rugged foot trail from Sunset Bay State Park and from Cape Arago State Park (camping available), but the historic (1889) footbridge to the island is closed to the public. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-106; Admiralty G4450; USCG 6-0605.

*** Coquille River (Bandon) 1896. Inactive since 1939 (a decorative solar-powered light has been displayed since 1991). 40 ft (12 m) stucco-clad brick tower attached to an unusual "Victorian Italianate" fog signal building. Lighthouse painted white, lantern and gallery black. The keeper's house has been demolished. Lighthouse Digest covered the 100th anniversary of the light station in 1996. The lighthouse was restored beginning in 1976 by Oregon State Parks. However, recent violent weather has damaged the site, and a new restoration effort has been launched. Progress was slow, however, and in 2005 there was fresh concern about the poor condition of the building. In 2007, restoration was finally begun by Oregon State Parks; a July photo by Dennis Fones shows the work in progress. Located at the end of Park Road, off US 101 on the north side of the river entrance opposite Bandon. Google has a satellite view. Site open, fog signal room open daily, tower open April through October (free). Owner: Oregon State Parks. Site manager: Bullard's Beach State Park. ARLHS USA-194. *** Cape Blanco 1870. Active; focal plane 245 ft (75 m); white flash every 20 s, day and night. 59 ft (18 m) brick tower attached to a workroom. The lighthouse has an unusual rotating Henry LePaute Fresnel lens (1936), larger than 2° but smaller than 1°. Lighthouse painted white with black trim; lantern roof is red. The keeper's house has been demolished, but there is a modern visitor center. Oregon's oldest and westernmost lighthouse. In 2003, the Bureau of Land Management carried out a $220,000 restoration of the lens and lighthouse; $40,000 of the cost was covered by visitors' donations. Friends of Cape Blanco works for maintenance of the light station. PortOrfordOregon.com also has a good page on the lighthouse. The light station is adjacent to Cape Blanco State Park (camping available). Located at the end of Cape Blanco Road about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Sixes. Site open (free), tower open to guided tours daily except Mondays, April through October (small charge). Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: U.S. Bureau of Land Management (Coos Bay District). ARLHS USA-107; Admiralty G4432; USCG 6-0595. Pelican Bay (Port of Brookings) 1990 (activated 1997). Active (privately maintained); focal plane 141 ft (43 m); three white flashes every 19.5 s. 40 ft (12 m) octagonal wood tower attached to a 2-story wood residence. Lighthouse painted white, lantern black. Lighthouse Explorer has a good photo by Pat Schwope. Built by Bill and JoAnn Cady in 1990, the lighthouse was activated after both house and tower were relocated to their present location in 1997. Located on a bluff at the end of Marks Lane off Oceanside Drive in Harbor, about 1/2 mi (800 m) southeast of the harbor entrance. Google has a satellite view. Site and tower closed (private residence). Owner/site manager: private. ARLHS USA-1005; USCG 6-0570.

Cape Blanco Light, June 2006 anonymous Creative Commons photo

Information available on lost lighthouses:

• Desdemona Sands (1902-1945), mouth of the Columbia River. ARLHS USA-982.
• Point Adams (1875-1912), entrance to the Columbia River. ARLHS USA-983.
• Willamette River (1895-ca. 1955), mouth of the Willamette River. ARLHS USA-892.

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Posted June 26, 2001. Checked and revised September 22, 2007. Lighthouses: 12. Lightships: 1. Site copyright 2007 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.