Yaquina Head Light
Encyclopedia
The Yaquina Head Light, also known early in its existence as the Cape Foulweather Lighthouse, is a lighthouse
on the Oregon Coast
of the United States
. It is located in Lincoln County
, near the mouth of the Yaquina River
near Newport
at Yaquina Head
. The tower stands 93 feet (28 m) tall, and is the tallest lighthouse in Oregon.
A two-story keepers' dwelling was built at the time the lighthouse tower and its adjoining oil house were constructed. In 1923, a one-story keepers' house was added a short distance to the east. In 1938, a one-story building replaced the original two-story dwelling. Both dwellings and all outbuildings (a shed, a garage, etc.) were then demolished in 1984. The space is now a grassy area.
Yaquina Head typically had three lighthouse keepers under the U.S. Lighthouse Service; a Head Keeper, and First and Second Assistant. The Head Keeper as well as the First Assistant usually stayed in the two-story keepers' dwelling with their families and the Second Assistant was usually a bachelor. In 1939 the U.S. Coast Guard took over the management. During WWII 17 Servicemen were stationed at Yaquina Head keeping a lookout for enemy ships.
The lighthouse still uses its original 1868 French-made Fixed Fresnel lens
; visible 19 miles (30.6 km) out to sea. In 1993, the lighthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
(reference number #73002340).
. It had already appeared in an earlier film, Hysterical (1983), and The Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977 television series episode "The Mystery of Pirate's Cove".
manages the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, including the lighthouse. The Yaquina Head Interpretive Center opened in 1997 and includes exhibits about the history and preservation of the lighthouse, and the marine life found in tide pools and along the coast. The center includes a gift shop.
The lighthouse lantern is operated by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitors off-shore bird rookeries and wildlife. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife manages the intertidal animals and the Oregon Department of State Lands is responsible for the intertidal lands.
Lighthouse tours available daily, noon to 4:00 p.m.
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....
on the Oregon Coast
Oregon Coast
The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It runs generally north-south along the Pacific Ocean, forming the western border of the state; the region is bounded to the east by the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coast stretches approximately from the Columbia River in the north to...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located in Lincoln County
Lincoln County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge*Siuslaw National Forest -Demographics:...
, near the mouth of the Yaquina River
Yaquina River
The Yaquina River is a river, approximately 50 mi long, on the Pacific coast of Oregon in the United States. It drains an area of the Central Oregon Coast Range west of the Willamette Valley near Newport....
near Newport
Newport, Oregon
Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868...
at Yaquina Head
Yaquina Head
Yaquina Head is a headland extending into the Pacific Ocean north of Newport, Oregon, United States. It is the site of the Yaquina Head Light, and is managed as Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area by the Bureau of Land Management....
. The tower stands 93 feet (28 m) tall, and is the tallest lighthouse in Oregon.
History
Built from 1871 to 1873 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Yaquina Head Light was first lit August 20, 1873 and automated in 1966. It is active with an identifying light characteristic of two seconds on, two seconds off, two seconds on, and 14 seconds off.A two-story keepers' dwelling was built at the time the lighthouse tower and its adjoining oil house were constructed. In 1923, a one-story keepers' house was added a short distance to the east. In 1938, a one-story building replaced the original two-story dwelling. Both dwellings and all outbuildings (a shed, a garage, etc.) were then demolished in 1984. The space is now a grassy area.
Yaquina Head typically had three lighthouse keepers under the U.S. Lighthouse Service; a Head Keeper, and First and Second Assistant. The Head Keeper as well as the First Assistant usually stayed in the two-story keepers' dwelling with their families and the Second Assistant was usually a bachelor. In 1939 the U.S. Coast Guard took over the management. During WWII 17 Servicemen were stationed at Yaquina Head keeping a lookout for enemy ships.
The lighthouse still uses its original 1868 French-made Fixed 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...
; visible 19 miles (30.6 km) out to sea. In 1993, the lighthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(reference number #73002340).
Film and television location
The lighthouse was used as the setting for the "Moesko Island Lighthouse" in the 2002 film The RingThe Ring (2002 film)
The Ring is a 2002 American psychological horror film directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Naomi Watts and Martin Henderson. It is a remake of the 1998 Japanese horror film Ring....
. It had already appeared in an earlier film, Hysterical (1983), and The Nancy Drew Mysteries
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries is a television series which aired for three seasons on ABC...
1977 television series episode "The Mystery of Pirate's Cove".
Yaquina Head Interpretive Center
The 100-acre site was established by Congress as an Outstanding Natural Area in 1980. The Bureau of Land ManagementBureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
manages the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, including the lighthouse. The Yaquina Head Interpretive Center opened in 1997 and includes exhibits about the history and preservation of the lighthouse, and the marine life found in tide pools and along the coast. The center includes a gift shop.
The lighthouse lantern is operated by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitors off-shore bird rookeries and wildlife. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife manages the intertidal animals and the Oregon Department of State Lands is responsible for the intertidal lands.
Lighthouse tours available daily, noon to 4:00 p.m.
See also
- Cape FoulweatherCape FoulweatherCape Foulweather is a basalt outcropping above the Pacific Ocean on the central coastline of the U.S. state Oregon in Lincoln County south of Depoe Bay. The cape is notable as the first promontory on the northwest coast of New Albion to be sighted and named by Captain James Cook, while on his...
- Yaquina Bay LightYaquina Bay LightThe Yaquina Bay Light is a lighthouse built in 1871—soon after the founding of the city of Newport, Oregon, United States. It is located on the north side of Yaquina Bay, the most populated port between Puget Sound and San Francisco at the time.-History:...
- List of lighthouses on the Oregon Coast
