Cape Blanco Light

Cape Blanco Lighthouse is a lighthouse at Cape Blanco in the U.S. state of Oregon. He is the oldest surviving lighthouse in the state.

Location

Cape Blanco is the westernmost point of the State of Oregon and next to Cape Alava in Washington State, one of the westernmost points of the Continental U.S., so apart from Alaska and Hawaii.

Located in Curry County, 15 kilometers north of Port Orford Cape occurs between the mouths of Sixes River and Elk River produced about 2 kilometers south-west of the Orford Reef are the Best Rock and Arch Rock and north of it the Blanco Reef.

The lighthouse is located on an approximately 245 foot - about 75 meters - high cliff.

Architectural History

In particular, Orford Reef and Blanco Reef, but also Cape Blanco himself down in the middle of the 19th century, serious obstacles to the coastal seafaring in southern Oregon indicate why this century, it was decided in the mid-sixties, on Cape Blanco a lighthouse to build. In 1867, the Farmer John D. West of the United States sold the necessary land for the construction of the lighthouse. In the next two years clearing the approximately 19 hectare site was. The inaccessibility by land required the landing all building material from the sea. The necessary for the construction of the foundation, the tower and outbuilding bricks were made ​​on site, the rest of the building material and necessary for the operation of the lighthouse facilities were delivered by means of water transport in May and June 1870. In this case due to the stranding of the ship part of the cargo was lost in May. The building was constructed under the supervision of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Stockton Williamson.

On 20 December 1870, the lighthouse at Cape Blanco began operations.

Building

The original structure has been preserved, but the built in summer and autumn of 1870 outbuildings as keeper's house, oil tank and water tower have now been demolished. The built of brick on a brick base, tapering upward, whitewashed tower is about 18 meters ( 59 feet ) high. The lantern and roof are green.

Originally built first order Fresnel lens was moved in 1936 to Tongue Point on the Columbia River near Astoria, for a weaker second-order Fresnel lens was installed, that 20 seconds continuous flashes of white light about 23 nautical miles ( 43 km ) are visible. The lighthouse was automated in 1980.

Access

With the completion of road access in 1886, the lighthouse became a tourist destination. So are recorded in the book for the years 1896-1916 more than 4,000 visitors. After years of blocking the site was reopened to the public on 1 April 1996. Since then the building from April to October can be visited, it can be reached from U.S. Highway 101 over the Cape Blanco Highway.

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