Coquille River Light

Coquille River Light

Coquille River Light
Location Bandon, Oregon
Coordinates 43°07′26″N 124°25′27″W / 43.123911°N 124.424222°W / 43.123911; -124.424222Coordinates: 43°07′26″N 124°25′27″W / 43.123911°N 124.424222°W / 43.123911; -124.424222
Year first constructed 1895
Year first lit 1896
Deactivated 1939
Foundation Rock/concrete jetty
Construction Brick/stuccoed
Tower shape Conical attached to signal building
Markings / pattern Red and white tower, black lantern
Height 40 feet (12 m)
Focal height 47 feet (14 m)
Original lens Fourth order Fresnel
Current lens Solar (1991) (visible only from Bandon)
Range 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) (formerly)[1]
Characteristic

28 seconds on, 2 seconds off

Coquille River Light
NRHP Reference # 74001682
Added to NRHP March 22, 1974
Heritage place listed on the National Register of Historic Places
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Coquille River Light (formerly known as Bandon 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.

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 River 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.[1][2][3]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Coquille River Lighthouse.

References

  1. 1 2 "Coquille River Lighthouse -- Circa: 1896 -- Decommissioned 1939". discoveroregonlighthouses.com. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  2. ↑ "Coquille River Lighthouse: A Beacon of Local History". bandonvisitorsguide.com. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  3. ↑ "Coquille River Light". rudyalicelighthouse.net. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
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