Coquille River Light
Encyclopedia
Coquille River Light is a lighthouse
located near Bandon
, Oregon
, United States
. It is currently maintained by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
as a part of Bullards Beach State Park
.
and harbor at Bandon. The light contained a fourth-order Fresnel lens
and connected to the nearby keepers house by a wooden walkway. In September 1936, a large wildfire swept through the surrounding area, and destroyed most of Bandon. The town soon became bankrupt as a result of the decline in shipping. Coquille Light was shut down in 1939 and replaced by an automated light on the south jetty.
The light was originally built with a Daboll trumpet
for its foghorn
, which was used as the light's fog signal for several years. However, at certain times due to specific weather conditions, the sound of the trumpet would fail at sea, and in 1910 the trumpet was replaced by a more reliable fog siren. While mariners liked the new signal, many Bandon residents did not. The siren would eventually be removed along with the Fresnel lens after the light's decommissioning.
Over the next 37 years, the condition of the light deteriorated due to neglect and vandalism, until the 1976, when its first major restoration began. However, by this time, the keepers quarters and other outbuildings had deteriorated past the point of repair, and were eventually removed. In 1991, a new solar powered light was installed in the tower. Currently, a new set of renovations are being done to the light as an ongoing project, and is estimated to finish sometime in 2011.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
located near Bandon
Bandon, Oregon
- Economy :Like many communities on the Oregon coast, Bandon had significant fishing and timber industries, which were greatly diminished by the 1980s, though some remnants still exist. Bandon's current economy revolves around wood products, fishing, tourism, and agriculture...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is currently maintained by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department , officially known as the State Parks and Recreation Department, is the government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon which operates its system of state parks...
as a part of Bullards Beach State Park
Bullards Beach State Park
Bullards Beach State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department....
.
History
Originally named Bandon Light, Coquille River Light was commissioned in 1895. First lit on February 29, 1896, the light guided mariners past the dangerous shifting sandbars into the Coquille RiverCoquille River
The Coquille River is a stream long, in southwestern Oregon in the United States. It drains a mountainous area of of the Southern Oregon Coast Range into the Pacific Ocean. Its watershed is located between that of the Coos River to the north and the Rogue River to the south.-Geography:The river,...
and harbor at Bandon. The light contained a fourth-order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
and connected to the nearby keepers house by a wooden walkway. In September 1936, a large wildfire swept through the surrounding area, and destroyed most of Bandon. The town soon became bankrupt as a result of the decline in shipping. Coquille Light was shut down in 1939 and replaced by an automated light on the south jetty.
The light was originally built with a Daboll trumpet
Daboll trumpet
A Daboll trumpet is an air trumpet foghorn which had been developed by an American, Celadon Leeds Daboll, of New London, Connecticut. It was basically a small coal-fired hot air engine, which compressed air in a cylinder on top of which was a reed horn....
for its foghorn
Foghorn
A foghorn or fog signal or fog bell is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of hazards or boats of the presence of other vehicles in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport...
, which was used as the light's fog signal for several years. However, at certain times due to specific weather conditions, the sound of the trumpet would fail at sea, and in 1910 the trumpet was replaced by a more reliable fog siren. While mariners liked the new signal, many Bandon residents did not. The siren would eventually be removed along with the Fresnel lens after the light's decommissioning.
Over the next 37 years, the condition of the light deteriorated due to neglect and vandalism, until the 1976, when its first major restoration began. However, by this time, the keepers quarters and other outbuildings had deteriorated past the point of repair, and were eventually removed. In 1991, a new solar powered light was installed in the tower. Currently, a new set of renovations are being done to the light as an ongoing project, and is estimated to finish sometime in 2011.
See also
- List of lighthouses on the Oregon Coast
- Steamboats of the Coquille RiverSteamboats of the Coquille RiverThe Coquille River starts in the Siskiyou National Forest and flows hundreds of miles through the Coquille Valley on its way to the Pacific Ocean. Bandon, Oregon, sits at the mouth of the Coquille River on the Pacific Ocean...
- List of Oregon shipwrecks
External links
- Coquille River (Bandon) Light at National Park ServiceNational Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
inventory of historic lightstations