Coos Bay Home and Site
Map Lighthouse Pictures
Cape Blanco - Cape Blanco Light Station occupies nearly 48
acres of land. There were originally two-family dwellings built
for the keeper's quarter - each with fireplaces to heat the
rooms. Several other small buildings were constructed around the
lighthouse to store oil and other necessary equipment. The
lighthouse was lit for the first time on December 20, 1870. The
lighthouse is the most westerly lighthouse in Oregon: It is the
highest of Oregon's lighthouses at 256 feet above sea level:
The lighthouse also had the first woman keeper, Mabel E.
Bretherton. In 1939 the U.S. Coast Guard took over the care of
the lighthouse. The lighthouse was later automated and was
finally abandoned in 1979. The original lens was a fixed Fresnel
lens (non-rotating). Later, the lens was replaced with an
electrical lens that provided a flash of light every 20 seconds.
Today, the light keepers are gone and the lighthouse is powered by
a 1,000 watt bulb, rotating electric motor, and it flashes at the
rate of once every 18 seconds.
Coquille Lighthouse: The Coquille River Lighthouse was the
last lighthouse to be built on the Oregon coast and was completed
in 1896.
The tower stand a rather "short" 40 feet and
originally beamed with a Fourth Order Lens.
In 1939 the
lighthouse became automated. Years of neglect left the lighthouse
in a state of deterioration. The Oregon State Parks began
restoration of the lighthouse in 1976. Today, the lighthouse has
a High Victorian Italiante architecture and can be viewed from
the waterfronts in Bandon, Oregon.
Heceta-Head Lighthouse: This lighthouse is located on the
west side of the 1000 foot Heceta Head and stands 205 feet above
the ocean. The light stands at the top of a 56 foot tower and was
first lit in 1894. The lighthouse is now fully automated and is
rated as the strongest light on the Oregon coast - it can be seen
nearly 21 miles from land.
Umpqua River Lighthouse: The Umpqua River Lighthouse was
originally built in 1857 near the mouth of the river. It was
destroyed by a flood in 1861 and rebuilding began in 1891 with a
completion date of 1894. The oil lamp was replaced by an electric
light in 1934. The tower stands 65 feet: It is 165 feet above sea
level and has a visibility of nearly 19 miles. The signal it
emits is 2 white flashes followed by 1 red. The original cost was
50,000 dollars.
Cape Arago Lighthouse: The current Cape Arago Lighthouse
was built in 1934 after replacing two previous lighthouses which
were eroded. The lighthouse stands on a 44 foot tower and is
located just south of Coos Bay, Oregon. It is 100 feet above sea
level and has a fourth order Fresnel lens which is fully
automated. The lighthouse is situated on a tiny inland and the
only access to the lighthouse is a footbridge. It can easily be
viewed from a trail off the Sunset Beach State Park. Please be
very careful if you take the trail from the beach. The cliffs are
steep and can be very dangerous. Unfortunately more than one soul
has been lost while traversing the cliffs. My advice to you
would be to invite an Oregonian to take you on this journey.