Cape Flattery Light

Cape Flattery Light
Location Neah Bay, Washington
Coordinates 48°23′30″N 124°44′12″W / 48.3917°N 124.7366°WCoordinates: 48°23′30″N 124°44′12″W / 48.3917°N 124.7366°W[1]
Year first constructed 1854
Year first lit 1857
Automated 1977
Foundation Surface
Tower shape Conical
Height 65 feet (20 m)
Original lens First order Fresnel lens (removed)
1940s lift system at Cape Flattery Light

The Cape Flattery Light is an historic lighthouse structure located at the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Neah Bay, Clallam County, in the U.S. state of Washington.[2] The lighthouse lies on Tatoosh Island, which is named after Chief Tatooche of the Makah Tribe.[3] It is the northernmost lighthouse on the West Coast of the continental United States. Although closed to the public, it can be viewed from Cape Flattery via a short 30-minute walk.[4]

History

The lighthouse was built in 1854 based on the design by Ammi B. Young. Its first light was displayed from a first-order lens in 1857 and was Washington Territory's third lighthouse. The house with a 65-foot (20 m) tower from the center still stands; the tower's light stands 165 feet (50 m) above water.[5][6] A fog signal building with a 12-inch (300 mm) steam whistle was built on the island in 1872. The original first-order lens was replaced by a fourth-order lens in 1932, then with a modern optic lens in 1977.

The lighthouse's light was decommissioned after a 30-foot (9.1 m) skeletal structure with a solar-powered beacon fitted with six-year solar pack batteries was built on the island.[7] In 2009, the Coast Guard began cleanup operations in anticipation of turning the historic lighthouse over to the Makah tribe, who own Tatoosh Island.[8] After the transfer, the Coast Guard will continue to have acccess for purposes of maintaining the optic.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Cape Flattery Lighthouse". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. ↑ "Cape Flattery Light". Inventory of Historic Light Stations: Washington Lighthouses. National Park Service. Archived from the original on April 7, 2004. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  3. ↑ Elyea, Winifred (1929). "History of Tatoosh Island". Washington Historical Quarterly (Washington University State Historical Society) 20 (3): 223–227. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Cape Flattery, WA". Lighthousefriends. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Historic Light Station Information & Photography: Washington". U.S. Coast Guard. November 17, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  6. ↑ "13th Coast Guard District Lighthouses". 13th Coast Guard District. January 1996. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  7. ↑ Schroeder, Deeda (September 21, 2009). "Coast Guard prepares island for transfer to Makah". The Herald (Everett, Wash.: The Daily Herald Co.). Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  8. ↑ Miller, Marcie (October 17, 2009). "Historic Cape Flattery lighthouse to be turned over to Makah; no timeline set". Peninsula Daily News (Black Press Ltd./Sound Publishing Inc.). Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  9. ↑ Clark, Sue (October 20, 2009). "Cape Flattery lighthouse transferred". Lighthouse News. Retrieved April 24, 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cape Flattery Light.