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Stuck in someone else's frames? break free!
At the entrance to Winchester Bay and at the mouth of the Umpqua River, stands a sentinel of the ocean, casting its red and white beams of light some 20 miles out to sea. The 67-foot tower is situated on a hill 165 feet above sea level surrounded by US Coast Guard buildings and a Museum. An earlier light structure, the first on the Oregon Coast, was built in 1857 on the sandy north spit of the river. It fell into the swollen water four years later during a storm when the water eroded away the sand. The current lighthouse was started in 1890 and was illuminated in 1894. It is the sister lighthouse to the one at Heceta Head just a few miles north of Florence. Both structures were built from the same plans.
The Umpqua Light shines through a first order Fresnel lens made of almost 1000 glass prisms handcrafted in France and weighing more than a modern automobile. It is a beautiful display of fine craftsmanship and produces a spectacular colored light show at dusk. This is especially true if there is a very light mist in the air. The light rotates out to sea and on the trees behind it on the landward side. The light shines 24 hours a day, but visit after dark or before sunrise, if you possibly can. As you enter Umpqua Lighthouse State Park, down a winding road, the light's rainbow beacon rotates through the tall pines with an alternating red and white beam. The 65 foot tower is brick covered with white stucco, but you will not be able to take you eyes off this fantastic lens. The lens assembly was originally turned by a clockwork mechanism much like a grandfather clock, powered by a huge weight which had to be wound up by the lightkeeper every three hours.
This motive power is now performed by an electric motor and monitored by sophisticated equipment, which notifies the Coast Guard station if a malfunction occurs. The original oil lamp has been replaced with a high powered electric bulb. A spare bulb is mounted on a panel, which automatically moves it into place should the first one burn out.
In November of 1983 the old chariot wheel mechanism that rotates the light broke down. The Coast Guard promptly installed an airport beacon on the tower and made plans to remove the original lens. Local residents launched a storm of protest until the Coast Guard relented and repaired the rotating apparatus. The lighthouse was restored by the US Coast Guard and is maintained by them.
Ed St. John, Tour Guide and Caretaker of the Umpqua River Lighthouse until 2002 A Doris Miller Photo 1026 Lighthouse Road, Winchester Bay, Oregon Winter Tours available by pre-arrangement - 541-271-4631 Lighthouse Tours: May 1 through September 30 Daily: 10 am to 4 pm Sunday: 1 pm to 4 pm
UMPQUA RIVER LIGHTHOUSE
An earlier structure, commissioned on the north spit of the river in 1857, was the first lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. It fell into the river in 1861 after sand eroded under the foundation.
Whale Watching on the Oregon Coast
There are two opportunities each year to observe whales as they migrate up and down the coast. The first opportunity this season will be: December 26 through January 2nd - the whales will be heading south to the breeding grounds in Baja
California.
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