Yaquina Head Light

The Yaquina Head Lighthouse stands on the Yaquina Head Peninsula (formerly Cape Foul Weather ) on the west coast of the USA in the state of Oregon. South of the tower there is the harbor town of Newport with the mouth of the Yaquina River. The lighthouse with its 28.3 meters the tallest lighthouse in Oregon.

History

The tower was built in the years 1871-1873 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The relatively long construction period resulted from problems with the supply of building materials and delays due to weather in the winter. A lot of building materials were transported by boats and deleted at the nearby beach, while two boats went under. In 1939 the tower was electrified in 1966 and automated. Before the automation of the tower was usually manned by three lighthouse keepers who were employed by the U.S. Lighthouse Service. In 1939, the United States Coast Guard took over the management. During the Second World War, 17 soldiers were stationed at Yaquina Head, as a lookout for enemy ships. Just as the Yaquina Head Peninsula is also the tower since 1948 as Outstanding Natural Area under the protection and management of the Bureau of Land Management. Since 1993, the tower on the National Register of Historic Places (National Register of Historic Places ) is performed. In 2006, the tower and the house for about a million U.S. dollars have been renovated.

Technology

As optics, the 1868 French original installed Fresnel lenses are in use. Until the electrification was to sunrise produces the light with the help of an oil burner by sunset. Today, a 1000 - watt halogen light bulb from General Electric, day and night for the light makes. The lighthouse has the following Blinking two seconds on, two seconds off, two seconds on, 14 seconds off.

Use

The visit of the peninsula is free of charge, parking and toilets are available. Since 1993, the tower can be visited again, even this admission is required. On the peninsula some trails and view points are created. With over 400,000 visitors per year, the lighthouse is the most visited of its kind in Oregon. The home of the lighthouse keeper now serves as a visitor center. Another lighthouse, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, is about 5 kilometers south of the Yaquina Bay at Newport.