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Description: Starting as a small stream at the base of the Canadian Rockies, the Columbia River travels more than 1200 miles, merging with rivers and streams, until it meets the Pacific Ocean. The force of the Columbia flowing into the sea creates one of the most treacherous bars in the world. There are 234 identified ships that stranded, sunk, or burned between 1725 and 1961 near the mouth of the river.
Captain Robert Gray, a seafarer more interested in finding furs for the China market than the honor of discovery, on May 11, 1792 was the first Euro-American to successfully cross the bar. The river was named after his ship, the Columbia Redivivia.
A cape on the mouth's north side marks the entrance to the river. Named "Kah'eese" by the local Indians, it received its current name from Captain John Meares. On July 6, 1788, Meares sought shelter from a turbulent sea but to no avail. He named the cape, "Cape Disappointment."
A white flag placed on top of the cape was originally used to mark the river entrance. Then three prominent spruce trees growing at the cape's summit were topped to mark the point. A ship would take a bearing on the trees from five miles offshore, then head for the southerly tip of the cape to navigate through the deepest part of the river.
Eventually a lighthouse was recommended in 1848, one of the first eight on the West Coast. In 1852, funds were appropriated to build it.
On September 18, 1853, the bark Oriole, which was bringing the building materials to the site, wrecked directly below the cape. The crew narrowly escaped with their lives. The entire cargo was lost. Two years later construction finally got underway, but was again delayed when it was discovered that the upper diameter of the tower was not large enough to accommodate the lantern room for the four-ton, first-order Fresnel Lens. The entire tower had to be dismantled brick by brick and rebuilt.
The lighthouse has continued to watch over the entrance of the Columbia River since it was first lit on October 15, 1856. It stands 53 feet tall with a focal plane 220 feet above sea. Its black horizontal stripe was added later to distinguish it from North Head Lighthouse located just two miles north.
The first-order lens was transferred to North Head in 1898 and replaced with a fourth-order lens. The original lens was used in at least three lighthouses and then put on display at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment State Park. The fourth-order lens is still in operation today.
Cape Disappointment Light station was tended by the revered Captain J.W. "Joel" Munson from 1865 to 1877. On March 15, 1865, the bark Industry wrecked near the cape. Of the 24 people on board, only seven survived. Munson was greatly disturbed that more people could have been saved if a lifesaving craft had been available. He found a battered lifeboat from the wreck on the beach and decided to rebuild it for use as a lifesaving boat. Munson was an accomplished fiddler and organized dances in Astoria, charging $2.50 per person, to raise money for the project.
On May 5, 1866, the W.B. Scranton was driven into the middle sands of the bar. Munson dispatched his craft with four other men, and was able to rescue the entire crew. Ironically, the captain of the W.B. Scranton was one of the seven survivors of the Industry.
Through Munson's efforts, a life saving station was established at Cape Disappointment in 1871. His famous craft was included in the station's equipment. The tradition of lifesaving continues today at the Coast Guard lifeboat station and training school located at "Cape D."