Under a Watchful Eye - Oregon Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

History sign a the end of the Tower Trail.
Marker Name: Under a Watchful Eye
Marker Text: Before the clock strikes the hour, another Coast Guard surfman begins to ascend the ladder of the 37-foot tower. The wind and rain batters his body as he struggles to climb the ladder where he will stand a 4-hour watch against the raging storm. He stares anxiously through the storm-drenched windows. Suddenly his eyes catch the dim light of a distant distress flare, fired from an ailing ship, battered by the storm and waves. He instantly spins the crank handle on the emergency phone that connects to the crew quarters where the men sleep restlessly, waiting for the bell to ring.
So begins the rescue of another ship’s crew from the rocky shores of the Pacific coast. Here stood a 37-foot high U.S. Coast Guard observation tower which afforded a view south 40 miles to Cape Sebastian and to the north as far as the lighthouse at Cape Blanco. This portion of the Pacific coast was the scene of numerous shipwrecks in the late 1800s and early 1900s, prompting the building of a lifeboat station in 1934.
Coast Guard surfmen manned this tower around the clock, watching for ships in distress, emergency signals and, during World War II, for enemy planes, ships or submarines.
The tower was removed after the Coast Guard station was closed in 1970. All that remains are the footings for three of the legs and the base for the staircase.

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