New Dungeness Light Station History

New Dungeness Light Station History. . , Approximately 10,000 years ago , Dungeness Spit began to form. The Spit is formed from sand and gravel from the Olympic Mountains carried by the Dungeness River into Dungeness Bay. Debris is also sloughed off the bluffs to the west, and redistributed along the Dungeness Spit by tidal currents. , 1792 , Captain George Vancouver explored the Strait of Juan de Fuca and named the Spit after Dungeness Point in England. , 1850 , Congress approved funding for the first 16 west coast lighthouses, including New Dungeness. , 1853 , Oregon became a state and Washington Territory was officially established. , 1857 , The Station was built, and the light was lit for the first time. , 1861 , The Civil War began. , 1915 , The Dungeness Spit was decreed by President Woodrow Wilson a Department of Agriculture wild bird reservation with public access. , 1927 , The top 27.5 feet of the tower were removed due to deterioration. The large pile of bricks from the shortening are now covered with grass, creating a small hill just outside the west fence. , 1994 , The last United States Coast Guard keeper was relieved of duty. The New Dungeness Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society, later called the New Dungeness Light Station Association, was formed and assumed operation and maintenance of the Station.