One bright and beautiful day we decided to head down to visit the South Oregon Coast. This turned out to be one of the most beautiful trips we have taken in a long time. At one point during our trip we thought it would be nice to "lighthouse hop" our way north on the Pacific Coast Highway. These were some of the pictures we captured.

 

Coquille River Lighthouse

Construction for the Coquille River Lighthouse first began in 1891. There were a number of delays that kept the lighthouse from finally being lit on February 29, 1896. In 1939, just 43 years later, the lighthouse was abandoned - its duties were replaced by an automated beacon. The lighthouse was forgotten for some time, and then in 1976 the US Army Corps and the Oregon State Parks renovated the lighthouse.

Umpqua Lighthouse

The Umpqua River was expected to be a central region for trade in Oregon. As a result, the first lighthouse along the Oregon coast was located on the north spit of the Umpqua River. Its light began to shine six miles south of Reedsport on October 10, 1857.

Sadly, this lighthouse was destined for a short life. Oregon's first attempt at a lighthouse was somewhat unsuccessful, as it fell to the elements of the ocean and its sandy foundation just six years later.

It wasn't until 1888 that the Lighthouse Board approved funds for building a second lighthouse at the entrance to the Umpqa River. Finally, on December 31, 1894, Umpqua River's lighthouse began to shine again - learning from the first mistake, the second lighthouse was built on a 100 foot ridge, high above the sand dunes and Pacific Ocean below.

Heceta Head Lighthouse

The Heceta Head Lighthouse towers 205 feet above the Pacific Ocean. This lighthouse is one of our favorites because of the amazing view of the ocean. This site was purchased in 1889, and five years later on March 30, 1894, the light was lit by Andrew Hald, Heceta Head's first principal keeper.

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

A number of people had wonderful expectations for Yaquina Bay and the Newport area. As a result, this lighthouse was built to begin the expected migration of settlers into this fertile land. The lighthouse was lit for the first time on November 3, 1871.

It wasn't until 1974 that Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was fully restored by the Oregon State Park Group. Today, visitors from all over visit this house. It is one of the few that are open all year, and can be viewed from the inside. Several of the rooms have memorabilia of Oregon's maritime past that are on loan from the Oregon Historical Society.

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Last modified: 9/14/03