Coquille River Lighthouse
Posted by: 
cachegame
N 43° 07.332 W 124° 25.404
10T E 384210 N 4775368
This Lighthouse has seen forest fires, vandals, and the ragging seas, but continues to shine today.
W 664.7 km from your present location
Waymark Code: WMV1G
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 10/12/2006
Views: 49
The Coquille River Lighthouse was first lit on February 29, 1896. The station consisted of a 40-foot tower and octagonal fog signal room. The tower housed a fourth-order Fresnel lens. The oil house stood on an adjacent platform. The lighthouse was built on an island and connected to the mainland by a wooden walkway. The keeper's residence was a duplex on the mainland. When the north jetty was completed at the turn of the century, the lighthouse was connected to the mainland.
Despite the two jetties and the lighthouse, shipwrecks still occurred in the area.
The schooner C. A. Klose (1904) and Advance (1905) both ran aground on the north jetty adjacent to the lighthouse. Fortunately, both were pulled off the rocks by tugs and surfmen of the nearby lifesaving station. Numerous other vessels were not so fortunate. For example, the schooners Onward, Western Homer, and Del Norte were all lost in 1904-05.
In 1939 the Cost Guard took over responsibility of the lighthouse and it was determined that it was no longer needed.
Vandals severely damaged the lighthouse in its retirement and it was restored in 1976 and opened to the public. Since the last restoration effort the salt has eaten away at the foundation and currently a second effort is being made to restore the light.
In 1991 a solar light was placed in the lighthouse which has a power backup on dark days.
For more information on this lighthouse:
Coquille River Lighthouse