Located 6 miles south of Reedsport in Winchester Bay, Ore., the Umpqua River Lighthouse towers over the place where the river empties into the Pacific Ocean. Created at a time when California investors saw this fertile valley as a great place for their fortunes, it offers visitors the opportunity to learn more about West Coast maritime history.

An illuminating past

          Known as the oldest lighthouse in Oregon, the original Umpqua River light predates the state’s 1859 annexation by four years. Many settlers made their way from the Golden State to the Oregon territory even though travel was rugged and dangerous, prompting the construction of a lighthouse that was first ignited in 1857. Unfortunately, it was prone to flooding and soil erosion and ultimately collapsed in 1863.

Congress commissioned a new lighthouse in 1888, and four years later, construction began using the same design plans as the Heceta Head Lighthouse in Florence, Ore. The new lighthouse was lit in 1894.

          Although the two sister lights are virtually identical, the Umpqua River light was built 100 feet above the river so that flooding would not be an issue. It also utilized a clockwork mechanism to rotate the 2-ton white and red first-order Fresnel lens that was created in France using 616 glass prisms. Mariners in the area were able to cross-reference their position based on the flash sequences that were produced every 15 seconds.

The mechanism was automated in 1966 and ultimately served the lighthouse for 89 years until it stopped working and was removed in 1983. The Coast Guard, which maintained the light, wanted to replace the mechanism with new, state-of-the-art technology, but public outcry was so great that the original mechanism was fully restored and reinstalled in 1985.

          The Umpqua River Lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. In April 2009, the Coast Guard notified Douglas County leaders that the light was no longer critical for navigation: They said that the light could be operated privately by the local government, a nonprofit corporation, or a community development organization, but if no one came forward to assume responsibility for it, the Coast Guard would either replace the Fresnel lens with a modern optic or decommission the light and remove the famous lens.

Douglas County assumed ownership of the light in 2010 and leased the lens to the Coast Guard so that the light could continue to operate. On April 14, 2012, the Coast Guard transferred the control and maintenance of the cherished icon to the county, and today, it operates in much the same way as it did 130 years ago.

Go toward the light

          The Umpqua River Lighthouse Museum is located at 1020 Lighthouse Road, adjacent to Umpqua Lighthouse State Park and 100 yards from the light itself. Visitors to the museum are able to view relics of the Oregon coast, including hundreds of documents, photos and artifacts that highlight the early history of the area. The Oregon Coast Guard, which was established in 1962, is also on display, and tours of the light itself can be taken.

Across from the lighthouse, folks can jump into whale watching at the Gray Whale Spy Hopper Station. The locale offers maps, charts and binoculars to help folks spot migrating whales. Don’t forget to stop by the gift shop and cafe, which is known for its sandwiches and clam chowder.

          Visitors to the Umpqua River Lighthouse Museum say that it is located on a scenic and well-cared-for property and staffed with knowledgeable guides who not only know the history of the light itself but can also cite the hard lives of the lighthouse keepers who kept the signal going over the years. Of course, the highlight of the tour is ascending the free-standing spiral staircase to see the light itself.

          “You can pop your head into the upper area and see the beautiful ruby and white lens,” said Jina Barber, who posted a Google review of the light five months ago. “It took my breath away.”

          Jennifer McClurkin said that the Umpqua River Lighthouse Museum is a reasonably priced attraction that includes admission to both the museum as well as the lighthouse itself.

          “We spent a couple of hours doing the lighthouse tour and checking out the museum. The lighthouse is so well-preserved … this is by far the best-kept we have seen. We were also surprised by how much and how nice the museum displays (were). It shares a lot about the history of the Coast Guard in the area, the seamen, the lighthouse and coastal life in general. So glad we stopped!”

Next Article: Suspended ion exchange pilot program reduces Tampa’s total organic carbon in water