Inside the top of the lighthouseU.S. Coast Guard 36 Foot Motor Lifeboat at Umpqua Lighthouse Museum
Located at the mouth of Winchester Bay, Oregon, the first Umpqua River Light was built in 1855 and lit in 1857. Built along the river channel, the original light was vulnerable to seasonal flooding. This led to yearly erosion of the sand embankment of the light. In October 1863, the building's foundations had become too unstable and the structure soon collapsed. Before its collapse, the Light House Board had foreseen the need to build a new light at the location. However, it was 1888 before Congress approved of a construction of a new light.[1]
Construction started on the new light in 1892, and it was first lit in 1894. Built at the same time as Heceta Head Light, it was built from the same plans and is virtually identical to its more northern sister.[2] Unlike its predecessor, the new light had several advantages over the original light. Built 100 feet (30 m) above the river, the new light was safe from flooding. This was partly due to the Light House Board's insistence that ships be able to plot a course based on visible lighthouses. The original light was not visible at sea and was only usable as an aid to ships approaching the river. The new light used a clockwork mechanism to rotate the Fresnel lens, and was eventually automated in 1966. The rotation mechanism served in the light for 89 years before it finally broke down and was removed. The Coast Guard, in charge of the light at this point, wanted to replace the mechanism with a new one. However, strong public outcry forced those plans to be aborted, and in 1985, the old mechanism was returned to its position after being fully restored.[1]
Visitors can tour the lighthouse and adjacent Coastal History Museum from May through September. The museum is located in a historic U.S. Coast Guard station and features exhibits on the lighthouse, local history and the U.S. Coast Guard history on the Umpqua River.[4]
^ ab. travel-to-oregon-tips.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
^"The Umpqua River Lighthouse - Winchester Bay, Oregon". Winchester Bay Merchants Association. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
^. Douglas County Parks. Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Umpqua River Lighthouse.
Umpqua Lighthouse State Park - official site
Discover Oregon Lighthouses: Umpqua
Umpqua River Lighthouse - photos and touring information
June 9, 2005, Statesman Journal article on Umpqua River Lighthouse
Umpqua River Lighthouse entry at Lighthouse Friends.com
Umpqua River Light entry in National Park Service inventory of historic lighthouses 2006-08-09 at the Wayback Machine
Close-up photos of the Umpqua River Lighthouse Fresnel lens
April 10, 2024
umpqua, river, light, lighthouse, oregon, coast, united, states, located, mouth, umpqua, river, winchester, douglas, county, oregon, locationwinchester, baycoordinates43, 662291, 198476, 662291, 198476towerfoundationnatural, emplaced, masonryconstructionbrick,. The Umpqua River Light is a lighthouse on the Oregon Coast of the United States located at the mouth of the Umpqua River on Winchester Bay in Douglas County Oregon Umpqua River LightUmpqua River LightLocationWinchester BayCoordinates43 39 44 N 124 11 55 W 43 662291 N 124 198476 W 43 662291 124 198476TowerFoundationNatural emplaced masonryConstructionBrick stuccoedAutomated1966Height61 feet 19 m ShapeConical attached to workroomHeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place LightFirst lit1894Focal height50 m 160 ft LensFirst order FresnelRange21 nautical miles 39 km 24 mi CharacteristicGroup Flash White Alternate Red Flash 15 sec 2 W 1 R FlashesUmpqua River Light HouseU S National Register of Historic PlacesNRHP reference No 77001100Added to NRHPOctober 21 1977 Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksHistory edit nbsp Inside the top of the lighthouse nbsp U S Coast Guard 36 Foot Motor Lifeboat at Umpqua Lighthouse MuseumLocated at the mouth of Winchester Bay Oregon the first Umpqua River Light was built in 1855 and lit in 1857 Built along the river channel the original light was vulnerable to seasonal flooding This led to yearly erosion of the sand embankment of the light In October 1863 the building s foundations had become too unstable and the structure soon collapsed Before its collapse the Light House Board had foreseen the need to build a new light at the location However it was 1888 before Congress approved of a construction of a new light 1 Construction started on the new light in 1892 and it was first lit in 1894 Built at the same time as Heceta Head Light it was built from the same plans and is virtually identical to its more northern sister 2 Unlike its predecessor the new light had several advantages over the original light Built 100 feet 30 m above the river the new light was safe from flooding This was partly due to the Light House Board s insistence that ships be able to plot a course based on visible lighthouses The original light was not visible at sea and was only usable as an aid to ships approaching the river The new light used a clockwork mechanism to rotate the Fresnel lens and was eventually automated in 1966 The rotation mechanism served in the light for 89 years before it finally broke down and was removed The Coast Guard in charge of the light at this point wanted to replace the mechanism with a new one However strong public outcry forced those plans to be aborted and in 1985 the old mechanism was returned to its position after being fully restored 1 The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 3 Visitors can tour the lighthouse and adjacent Coastal History Museum from May through September The museum is located in a historic U S Coast Guard station and features exhibits on the lighthouse local history and the U S Coast Guard history on the Umpqua River 4 nbsp Lightkeepers Telescope nbsp Lighthouse Stairwell nbsp Umpqua River Lighthouse Museum nbsp Umpqua River Lighthouse nbsp Museum ExhibitSee also editList of lighthouses on the Oregon CoastReferences edit a b Umpqua River Light House The Light Shines On travel to oregon tips com Archived from the original on March 26 2012 Retrieved July 4 2010 The Umpqua River Lighthouse Winchester Bay Oregon Winchester Bay Merchants Association Archived from the original on September 14 2012 Retrieved July 4 2010 National Register of Historic Places Douglas County Parks Douglas County Parks Archived from the original on July 26 2010 Retrieved July 4 2010 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Umpqua River Lighthouse Umpqua Lighthouse State Park official site Discover Oregon Lighthouses Umpqua Umpqua River Lighthouse photos and touring information June 9 2005 Statesman Journal article on Umpqua River Lighthouse Umpqua River Lighthouse entry at Lighthouse Friends com Umpqua River Light entry in National Park Service inventory of historic lighthouses Archived 2006 08 09 at the Wayback Machine Close up photos of the Umpqua River Lighthouse Fresnel lens Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Umpqua River Light amp oldid 1185824677, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
