Reedsport in Douglas County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)
Umpqua River Lighthouse
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 29, 2021
1. Umpqua River Lighthouse Marker
Originally the first lighthouse in the Oregon Territory. Was built in 1857 near the mouth of the river. It was undermined and destroyed by flood in Feb. 1864. Rebuilt here in 1891 and completed in 1894. It shines a guiding light to all mariners.
The illumination was changed from oil to electricity in 1934.
Conical tower – 65’
Elev. – 165’ above sea level
Lens – 6’ diameter, 10’ high and weighs 2 tons
Prisms – 616, hand cut in Paris, France 1890
Lamp – U.K. 00 Candlepower
Visibility – 19 miles seaward
Signal – 2 white flashes followed by 1 red
Original Cost $50,000
Erected by U.S. Coast Guard.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Man-Made Features • Notable Buildings • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1857.
Location. 43° 39.739′ N, 124° 11.92′ W. Marker is in Reedsport, Oregon, in Douglas County. Marker is on Lighthouse Road west of Oregon Coast Highway (U.S. 101), on the right when traveling north. Marker is located within Umpqua Lighthouse State Park, directly in front of the subject lighthouse.
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Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within 17 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. U.S.C.G. Station, Umpqua River, 1939 (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); History of Local Steam Donkey (approx. 5.9 miles away); What is a Steam Donkey? (approx. 5.9 miles away); Jedediah Smith (approx. 6.1 miles away); Gardiner (approx. 6.3 miles away); Smith, Jackson & Sublette Umpqua Memorial (approx. 6.6 miles away); Jerry Phillips Reserve (approx. 16.8 miles away).
Regarding Umpqua River Lighthouse. National Register of Historic Places (1977)
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Oregon Coast Lighthouses
Also see . . .
1. Umpqua River Lighthouse.
The tower’s first-order Fresnel lens, manufactured in 1890 by Barbier & Co of Paris, is a thing of beauty and was originally illuminated by a Funck mineral oil lamp. The lens has twenty-four bull’s-eye panels and completes a revolution every two minutes, producing a signature of two white flashes followed by a red flash. Every seventy minutes the keepers would have to wind up the weight that revolved the lens. Marinus Stream from Astoria Oregon, the first head
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 26, 2015
2. Umpqua River Lighthouse Marker (older version)
2. Umpqua River Lighthouse (1894).
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. 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. (Submitted on January 30, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Umpqua River Lighthouse.
The glass in the Fresnel lens was hand cut in Paris France in 1890, it has 616 prisms and has 24-bulls-eyes, 8 are covered with red glass, the remaining 16 are clear glass, the positioning of the bulls-eyes are alternating 2 clear lenses and 1 red; as the lens would turn on chariot wheels at the base of the lens the bulls-eyes would pass in front of the light it would create 2 white flashes of light followed by 1 red
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 26, 2015
3. Umpqua River Lighthouse Marker (wide view; marker visible near gate at right)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 26, 2015
4. Umpqua River Lighthouse Gallery
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 26, 2015
5. Umpqua River Lighthouse National Register of Historic Places Plaque
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 26, 2015
6. Umpqua River Lighthouse Fresnel Lens
Light "signature," (i.e., 2 white flashes followed by 1 red), is produced by the arrangement of these "bull's eye" panels in the lens
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 26, 2015
7. Umpqua River Lighthouse Lamp
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner
8. Oregon Lighthouses
Credits. This page was last revised on July 18, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 27, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 248 times since then and 17 times this year. Last updated on February 9, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photos: 1. submitted on July 11, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on January 27, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on January 30, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 8. submitted on April 8, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
