Yaquina Bay Light

The Lighthouse Old Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is on the northern entrance to Yaquina Bay on the west coast of the USA in the state of Oregon. Built in 1871 the tower is located on the Pacific Ocean in the port city of Newport, and marked at this point, the mouth of the Yaquina River and the entrance to the ports of Newport and Yaquina City. The lighthouse is the only historic lighthouse in Oregon made ​​of wood, which is still preserved and one of the few where the lighthouse keeper's house in the same building as the tower.

History

1871-1874

With the construction of the wooden building was begun in 1871. Already in the same year the tower resumed operation. For the light, a burner was used, which was supplied with whale oil. The light had a range of almost 20 kilometers. With the increase in ship traffic along the coast of Oregon the authority responsible for lighthouses in the United States authority, the Lighthouse Board decided that a lighthouse on the coast, on the Yaquina Head may be more suitable. The finally completed in 1873 Lighthouse Yaquina Head Lighthouse, which is about five kilometers north, made redundant after three years operation of the Yaquina Bay Lighthouses. After a short transition period in which both towers were active, he was put out of service in 1874. After decommissioning, the Fresnel lenses could be in the opened in 1875 lighthouse on the island of Yerba Buena Iceland in the bay of San Francisco installed and used.

1875-1996

After about 15 years of vacancy, the United States Army Corps of Engineers used 1888-1896 the building as accommodation, while they built the jetties north and south of the bay entrance. In the years 1906-1913 the tower was used as an observation point and the building as accommodation by the United States Life-Saving Service and the United States Coast Guard. In 1934 the Oregon State Highway Division purchased the land around the tower for a State Park. After some years of vacancy, the building, which was located in a very bad state of repair should be demolished in 1946. In response, the Lincoln County Historical Society was formed around the lighthouse along with the Oregon Historical Society to obtain. With the help of LE Warford, an industrialist from Ohio, the building was partially restored. Because of these efforts, it was officially recognized as a valuable historical site, and could be saved from demolition. The entry in the National Register of worth preserving cultural monuments ( National Register of Historic Places ) was 1970. Until about 1974 the building was used as a district museum. At this time, the windows were permanently closed sheds to be protected by the inner structure of the building. After that was closed the museum, was a complete renovation of the building will be carried out.

1996 -

Since December 7, 1996, after 122 years of absence, the tower is again officially as a navigation mark, equipped with modern optics and fully automated back into operation. The look was a donation from the Lighthouse historian James A. Gibbs, who has described in his books the story of many lighthouses on the Pacific coast. The tower operates today as officially recognized by the United States Coast Guard, private aid to navigation. With its durable burning white light, he now has a range of about nine kilometers.

Trivia

In the short story The Ghost Lighthouse ( The Haunted Lighthouse ) of Lischen M. Miller from 1899 plays the at the time empty lighthouse at the mysterious disappearance of the young girl Muriel Trevenard a tragic role. Also in the book Lighthouses of the Pacific by James A. Gibbs mysterious circumstances are described in connection with the lighthouse.

Use

The visit of the Yaquina Bay State Parks, is maintained by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and where the tower is located is free, parking lots, picnic areas, children's playgrounds and toilets are available. In State Park, some hiking trails and view points are created, from the park there are trails right on the beach. The building now serves as a gift shop, several rooms have been reconstructed original. With about 350 visitors per day, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is a major tourist attraction in Newport and at the edge of U.S. Highway 101

Yaquina Head Lighthouse, the other active lighthouse in the region around Newport, stands on the peninsula Yaquina Head about 5 kilometers to the north, and can also be visited.