Guiding Lights
Lighthouses are a rare commodity in America, dotting just the periphery of the continent and along the Great Lakes. But in Oregon there are still enough 19th-century lighthouses to count on two hands—almost.
Nine of these romantic structures grace Oregon’s coastline and most are still operating, now with halogen rather than kerosene lamps. They broadcast their beams from Cannon Beach to Port Orford, a stretch of about 250 miles. A weekend outing allows ample time to visit four or five of them, while stopping at other attractions along the way.
1.
Northern Exposure
Start your adventure in the northern coast at Cape Meares Lighthouse, a few miles west of Tillamook, where you can tour the cheese factory and fortify yourself with a scoop of ice cream. Visitors to Cape Meares can climb the circular stairway inside the stubby tower—at 38 feet it’s the shortest in Oregon. And with waves crashing below the 217-foot cliff, a coastal panorama spread out for miles and marine wildlife squawking at the nearby Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge, the view from the little guy is terrific.
Here, volunteers will give you the condensed version of Lighthouses 101. They’ll tell you that the beehive-shaped leaded crystal lenses were the 1822 invention of a French physicist, Augustin Fresnel, and were designed to throw light about 20 miles to the horizon. In early days, the light source was a big kerosene lamp with four or five wicks. Vigilant keepers tended the lamp all night.
The keepers and their families had their own gardens and livestock and were self-sufficient. They had to be. A supply ship stopped only every few months to deliver essentials, including a fresh box of books—those long nights in the lighthouse could be pretty boring!
2.
Newport to Florence
In Newport, 70 miles to the south, there are two lighthouses. The first one, built in 1871 at Yaquina Bay, was blocked by headlands so that ships approaching from the north couldn’t see the light. But until 1873, when a new lighthouse was built at Yaquina Head, a family of 11 lived in the cozy keeper’s house, where the lighthouse tower was actually on the roof.
The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was walking distance from Newport’s bayfront shops, while Yaquina Head Lighthouse, at the tip of a mile-long headland, was quite remote. Today, the drive to the 93-foot tower from Highway 101 passes through the gorgeous 100-acre Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, which includes one of the four Marine Gardens in Oregon. (The kids will love the world’s only man-made tidepools in Quarry Cove, accessible to all.)
With two lighthouses to tour, a working waterfront with fun shops and great seafood restaurants (don’t miss Mo’s!), the famous Oregon Coast Aquarium (former home of Keiko the whale) and an award-winning microbrewery (Rogue Ales), you’ll want to linger in Newport for at least a day.
But there are more lovely lighthouses to see. About 36 miles south, just north of Florence, is one of the loveliest—Heceta Head. The keeper’s house, high on a hill overlooking the beach, is a bed and breakfast where overnight guests occupy the top floor and daytime visitors can tour the rest of the fully furnished late-19th-century home. A path from the house leads up the hill to where the 56-foot lighthouse stands sentinel atop a 205-foot cliff.
Here’s a tip for photographers: the best view of Heceta Head is from Sea Lion Caves, on a bluff a few miles to the south. After admiring all the sea lions lolling on the rocks, climb the stairs to the lookout. Across the water stands the lighthouse in a postcard-perfect view.
3.
Southern Charms
About two and a half miles south near Port Orford is the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, which holds several state records. Built in 1870, it’s Oregon’s oldest lighthouse. With the top of the 59-foot tower at 256 feet above sea level, it’s Oregon’s highest. And it’s the most westerly, sitting where Oregon juts out furthest into the Pacific Ocean. Finally, it housed Oregon’s first female lighthouse keeper, Mabel E. Bretherton, who took the job in 1903.
There are four remaining lighthouses in Oregon’s collection, including the northernmost one, the 1881 Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, offshore near Cannon Beach, and since 1980 a columbarium. South of Reedsport, the Umpqua River Lighthouse is the spitting image of Heceta Head Lighthouse and was commissioned the same year, 1894. Cape Arago, near Coos Bay, was built in 1934 and is not open to the public. Finally, the 1896 Coquille River Lighthouse near Bandon offers guided tours to the tower watchroom upon request. – Susan G. Hauser