Northern Pacific Coast Lighthouses

The Northern Pacific's extremely rocky coastline has proven hazardous to sailors for centuries, and lighthouses were depended upon for survival. On my trip up the Northern Pacific coast, we visited four of them in California and Oregon.

Battery Point Lighthouse: Battery Point Lighthouse is located on an islet atop a rocky mound at Crescent City, California. Visits are only possible at low tide across a narrow 200-foot isthmus and visitors are advised to keep an eye on their watch and the tide. Battery Point got its name when cannons salvaged from a burned ship were mounted at the harbor's entrance and fired off on the 4th of July. Battery Point was first illuminated on December 10, 1856. Still active, it is a privately owned aid to navigation with a resident keeper.

Amazingly, the lighthouse was undamaged when the worst tsunami ever recorded along the west coast hit Crescent City. The March 27, 1964, earthquake in Alaska generated waves cresting up to twenty feet, and Battery Point's keepers were terrified eye witnesses. Read keeper Peggy Coons account of the wave here. The public can tour the lighthouse, keeper's quarters and tower, from April through September, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Visit the Del Norte Historical society here for more information.

St. George Reef: The St. George Reef Lighthouse was built after the sinking of the steamer Brother Jonathan in 1865 cost 150 lives. The lighthouse is six miles out to sea near Crescent City at the California/Oregon border. It can only be seen from shore on a clear day and reached by helicopter. The day we went, the Kodak gods were not with us, but I did snap a shadowy outline from the Point St. George coastal access beach. We became so engrossed in taking photos of huge redwood stumps, climbing rock jetties and collecting sand dollars and starfish that we let time get away and were almost stranded by the tide. Built between 1882-1892 on a small wave washed rock, the lighthouse is constructed of individually cut granite blocks. A cast iron lantern room caps the lighthouse, which rises 150 feet above the sea.

Four keepers have been killed on duty over its history, and was is considered one of the most dangerous stations. Decommissioned in 1975, its Fresnel lens is now at the Del Norte Country Historical Society Museum. St. George is the only offshore lighthouse in the world with public access. Weather permitting, lighthouse tours by helicopter are offered by the St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society. The helicopters depart Crescent City Airport for a six-minute flight to the lighthouse where society members greet visitors and host a one-hour tour. Flights are $195.00 per person. Visit this site for more details.

Cape Blanco Lighthouse: First lit on December 20, 1870, Cape Blanco got its name from the 200-foot chalky cliffs upon which it sits on Oregon's southern coast, two miles north of Port Orford. It holds the record as the oldest continuously operated, most westerly and highest light, and in 1903, it was the first lighthouse in Oregon to have a woman keeper. The Friends of Cape Blanco organization sponsors events throughout the year. Visit this site for this year's schedule. Cape Blanco is open to the public and visitors can climb the spiral staircase to the lantern room. Narrated tours are conducted on the lighthouse history and life on the cape. Visiting hours are April 1 through October 31, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., closed Mondays. Fees to climb the tower are $2 for adults, $1 for children.

Coquille River (Bandon) Lighthouse: I had forgotten that I had seen this lighthouse until I went through the photo albums of our trip recently, and came upon a fog-shrouded image taken from the beach at Bandon, Oregon. The Coquille River Lighthouse sits where the river empties into the Pacific Ocean, two miles north of Bandon on the north bank of the Coquille River. Also known as the Bandon Light, it was built in 1896 in an unusual High Victorian Italianate architecture and was the last lighthouse built along the Oregon Coast. Operated by Bullard's Beach State Park, the lighthouse is open to the public for tours during daylight hours, with guided tower tours upon request. Visit this site for the tour schedule.

Sources: Battery Point at Lighthouse Friends; St. George Reef Preservation Society; St. George Reef Lighthouse at Lighthouse Friends; Redwoods Attractions; Cape Blanco at Lighthouse Friends; Port Orford Visitors Guide; Coquille River Lighthouse at Lighthouse Friends