Greater Houston Weekly - Top Of The Week
Restorations are underway to preserve Oregon lighthouses
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| All nine remaining lighthouses on the Oregon shoreline have been named to the National Register of Historic Places. |
By Jim and Jane Whitcomb
Oregon’s surviving coastal lighthouses are visible, accessible links to the past and now stand as monuments to Oregon’s maritime heritage. Only nine lighthouses remain on the coast of Oregon and none are officially maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard.
In the 1960s automated beacons were installed and the Coast Guard began transferring its lighthouse holding over to other government agencies, some were even sold to private individuals. There are vigorous restoration efforts underway to preserve the seven remaining lighthouses now open for public inspection. All nine remaining lighthouses have been named to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Umpqua River Lighthouse is located 6 miles south of Reedsport, Ore. above the entrance to Winchester Bay and adjacent to Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. What makes this lighthouse unique is its lens that emits distinctive red and white automated flashes. This is the equivalent of road signs to mariners and tells the ships which lighthouse they are passing. The lens can never be replicated. The European craftsmen that built this lens no longer have the knowledge or ability to reproduce these masterpieces so they must be carefully maintained and preserved. It is only one of two in the world that emit that specific color signal. The other lighthouse is in Salvador City, Brazil.
The lens was originally built in Paris, France in the 1800s and has three things in common with the Statue of Liberty. Both were shipped by boat but this lens arrived after a trip around the Cape of South American. The Statue of Liberty was originally built as a lighthouse and has the same lens, so both were lighthouses and both lens were built in Paris in the 1800s
The lens is crafted of 666 pieces and is 114 years old. That in itself is unique considering the many winter storms along the Oregon Coast. There are only nine lighthouses in the U. S. with this particular style of lens and three are in Oregon.
The second oldest standing lighthouse structure on the Oregon coast is the Yaquina (Yah-kwih-nah) Bay Lighthouse. It is located in Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site on U.S.101 at the north end of the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport.
It only served the coast for a short period of time from 1871 until 1874 awaiting the commissioning of the nearby brighter Yaquina Head Light but we found it fascinating.
The lens is only 42 feet above ground level so it is an easy climb to the top. It is now open as a museum. It is not your traditional lighthouse and appears as more a two-story home. The light keeper and family lived on the two levels and maintained the lighthouse at the top of the structure. It was re-lit and recognized as a privately maintained aid to navigation by the U. S. Coast Guard in 1996. There is said to be a friendly ghost who sometimes opens shutters in the morning before volunteers arrive. A young girl went missing from the lighthouse and was never found. The only evidence was a bloody handkerchief. She is said to remain watching over her former home. We did not see her.
Now we have a fish story for you. Jim has been diligently fishing off the fishing pier as well as trolling for salmon. He hasn’t been successful. The salmon are beginning to make their run in the Siuslaw River and we have seen seals in the river coming by the fishing camp, which is a good sign salmon are there. The river is swarming with boats and fishermen of all types.
The other morning he was at the pier casting when a friendly man and woman in fishing boat trolled by. He was talking with the fisherman when he got a strike. He was so excited! The line went up river and felt like a 40-pound salmon. Surprise! Jim had hooked the fishing boat trolling line.
After several good laughs the fisherman and Jim untangled the lines. As a kind gesture the fisherman asked if we would like the Coho Salmon he had caught down river earlier in the day. He was a young one and the locals call them “Jacks.” We said sure and so we had salmon for dinner. We did catch it, sort of! Jim is still fishing and is determined to get that big one.
Interactive RV trip
Next week we will be exploring Crater Lake and more of the beautiful Oregon Coast. We plan to pack up and head for the Olympic Peninsular in Washington State and then begin our trip home. Continue to visit and send comments and questions to our website www.imagehouseusa.com.
In the 1960s automated beacons were installed and the Coast Guard began transferring its lighthouse holding over to other government agencies, some were even sold to private individuals. There are vigorous restoration efforts underway to preserve the seven remaining lighthouses now open for public inspection. All nine remaining lighthouses have been named to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Umpqua River Lighthouse is located 6 miles south of Reedsport, Ore. above the entrance to Winchester Bay and adjacent to Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. What makes this lighthouse unique is its lens that emits distinctive red and white automated flashes. This is the equivalent of road signs to mariners and tells the ships which lighthouse they are passing. The lens can never be replicated. The European craftsmen that built this lens no longer have the knowledge or ability to reproduce these masterpieces so they must be carefully maintained and preserved. It is only one of two in the world that emit that specific color signal. The other lighthouse is in Salvador City, Brazil.
The lens was originally built in Paris, France in the 1800s and has three things in common with the Statue of Liberty. Both were shipped by boat but this lens arrived after a trip around the Cape of South American. The Statue of Liberty was originally built as a lighthouse and has the same lens, so both were lighthouses and both lens were built in Paris in the 1800s
The lens is crafted of 666 pieces and is 114 years old. That in itself is unique considering the many winter storms along the Oregon Coast. There are only nine lighthouses in the U. S. with this particular style of lens and three are in Oregon.
The second oldest standing lighthouse structure on the Oregon coast is the Yaquina (Yah-kwih-nah) Bay Lighthouse. It is located in Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site on U.S.101 at the north end of the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport.
It only served the coast for a short period of time from 1871 until 1874 awaiting the commissioning of the nearby brighter Yaquina Head Light but we found it fascinating.
The lens is only 42 feet above ground level so it is an easy climb to the top. It is now open as a museum. It is not your traditional lighthouse and appears as more a two-story home. The light keeper and family lived on the two levels and maintained the lighthouse at the top of the structure. It was re-lit and recognized as a privately maintained aid to navigation by the U. S. Coast Guard in 1996. There is said to be a friendly ghost who sometimes opens shutters in the morning before volunteers arrive. A young girl went missing from the lighthouse and was never found. The only evidence was a bloody handkerchief. She is said to remain watching over her former home. We did not see her.
Now we have a fish story for you. Jim has been diligently fishing off the fishing pier as well as trolling for salmon. He hasn’t been successful. The salmon are beginning to make their run in the Siuslaw River and we have seen seals in the river coming by the fishing camp, which is a good sign salmon are there. The river is swarming with boats and fishermen of all types.
The other morning he was at the pier casting when a friendly man and woman in fishing boat trolled by. He was talking with the fisherman when he got a strike. He was so excited! The line went up river and felt like a 40-pound salmon. Surprise! Jim had hooked the fishing boat trolling line.
After several good laughs the fisherman and Jim untangled the lines. As a kind gesture the fisherman asked if we would like the Coho Salmon he had caught down river earlier in the day. He was a young one and the locals call them “Jacks.” We said sure and so we had salmon for dinner. We did catch it, sort of! Jim is still fishing and is determined to get that big one.
Interactive RV trip
Next week we will be exploring Crater Lake and more of the beautiful Oregon Coast. We plan to pack up and head for the Olympic Peninsular in Washington State and then begin our trip home. Continue to visit and send comments and questions to our website www.imagehouseusa.com.
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