Tillamook Rock Light
Location | Tillamook Head, Clatsop County, US |
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Coordinates | 45°56′15″N 124°01′08″W / 45.9375°N 124.019°W |
Tower | |
Construction | concrete (foundation), basalt (tower), brick (tower), iron (tower) |
Height | 62 ft (19 m) |
Shape | square (tower), round (lantern) |
Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
Light | |
First lit | 21 January 1881 |
Deactivated | 1957 |
Focal height | 133 ft (41 m) |
Lens | first order Fresnel lens |
Range | 18 nmi (33 km; 21 mi) |
Tillamook Rock Lighthouse | |
NRHP reference No. | 81000480 |
Added to NRHP | December 9, 1981 |
Tillamook Rock Light (known locally as Terrible Tilly or just Tilly) is a deactivated lighthouse on the northern Oregon Coast of the United States. It is located approximately 1.2 miles (1.9 km) offshore from Tillamook Head, and 20 miles (32 km) south of the mouth of the Columbia River near Astoria, situated on less than an acre of basalt rock in the Pacific Ocean. The construction of the lighthouse was commissioned in 1878 by the United States Congress and took more than 500 days to complete. Shortly before the completion of the lighthouse in January 1881, the barque Lupatia was wrecked near the rock during foggy weather and sank, with the loss of all 16 crew members.
Tillamook Rock Light was officially lit on January 21, 1881. At the time, it was the most expensive lighthouse to be built on the West Coast. Due to the local erratic weather conditions, and the dangerous commute for both keepers and suppliers, the lighthouse earned the nicknamed "Terrible Tilly" (or "Tillie"). Over the years, storms and the sea have damaged the structure, shattered the lens, and eroded the rock. The light was decommissioned in 1957, and has since been sold several times to private buyers. Since the 1980s it functioned as a columbarium until 1999. Today the lighthouse remains privately owned. Tillamook Rock Light is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and is part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The lighthouse is visible from the coastal cities of Seaside and Cannon Beach, as well as from Ecola State Park.
Construction
In 1878, the
In September 1879, a third survey was ordered, this time headed by John Trewavas, whose experience included the
The structure of the lighthouse included an attached keeper's quarters and a 62-foot (19 m) tower that originally housed a first-order
The wreck of the Lupatia
In early January 1881, when the lighthouse was near completion, the barque Lupatia was sailing in thick fog and high winds when the ship's Captain noticed that they were too close to shore. Wheeler, the official in charge of the lighthouse's construction, heard the voices of the panicked crew and immediately ordered his men to place lanterns in the tower and light a bonfire to signal the ship that they were approximately 600 feet (200 m) from the rock. The ship appeared to have been able to turn itself toward returning to sea. However, it quickly disappeared into the fog, and Wheeler was not able to hear the crew. The next day, the bodies of all 16 crew members were found washed up on shore of Tillamook Head. The only survivor of the wreck was the crew's dog.[6]
Operational era
The beacon was first lit on January 21, 1881, and was assigned with four keepers.[2] Duty at the Tillamook Light was considered difficult due to the isolation from civilization, and the severe weather conditions. The light was nicknamed "Terrible Tilly" (or "Tillie"), for the frequent stormy conditions of its location.[3] Throughout its history, the area was hit by large, violent storms that damaged the lighthouse with large waves, winds, and debris, and on several occasions, the tower was flooded after the lantern room windows were broken by large debris.[3] The lighthouse had four head keepers during its first two years and in 1897, a telephone line was installed, though a storm cut it shortly afterwards.[2] During a storm in 1912, 100 tons of rock were reportedly shorn off the western end of the rock, and the windows were eventually cemented over and replaced by small portholes.[2]
On October 21, 1934, the original fresnel lens was destroyed by a large storm that also leveled parts of the tower railing and greatly damaged the landing platform.[2][3][4] Winds had reached 109 miles per hour (175 km/h), launching boulders and debris into the tower, damaging the lantern room and destroying the lens.[2] The derrick and phone lines were destroyed as well.[2] After the storm subsided, communication with the lighthouse was severed until keeper Henry Jenkins built a makeshift radio from the damaged foghorn and telephone to alert officials.[2][3] Diesel engines were installed to provide electricity for the light and station.[7] Repairs to the lighthouse cost $12,000 and were not fully completed until February 1935.[2] The Fresnel lens was replaced by an aerobeacon, and a metal mesh placed around the lantern room to protect the tower from large boulders.[2]
Post-operational era
The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1957 and replaced with a whistle
Access to the lighthouse is severely limited, with a helicopter landing the only practical way to access the rock, and it is off-limits even to the owners during the seabird nesting season.[9] The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981[10] and is part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.[3] The lighthouse's rock is now frequently visited by thousands of sea lions, seals, and sea birds.[11][12]
In April 2022, Eternity at Sea announced that the property was for sale. The buildings were said to be in need of complete renovation due to damage from storms, nesting birds and sea lions.[13]
Gallery
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Tillamook Rock Light in 1891
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Tillamook Rock Light
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Tillamook Rock light station in 2010
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2010
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January 2014
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Tillamook Light - December 2022
See also
- List of lighthouses on the Oregon Coast
References
- ^ Annual Report 1878, p. 100
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Tillamook Rock Light". rudyalicelighthouse.net. Archived from the original on January 5, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Tillamook Rock Lighthouse". discoveroregonlighthouses.com. Discover Oregon Lighthouses Hewitt/Noack. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
- ^ The Statesman Journal. Archived from the originalon February 3, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "What a wreck!". cannonbeachgazette.com. Cannon Beach Gazette. Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
- ^ Gibbs, pp. 193–195
- ^ Yardley, William (October 24, 2007). "Terrible Tillie, Where the Departed Rest Not Quite in Peace". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- ^ Button, Hannah (17 May 2017). "Mother Nature winning battle to reclaim Tillamook Rock". KOIN.com. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). June 6, 2011. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 9, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- ^ "Tillamook Rock Lighthouse". www.us-lighthouses.com. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ^ Connection, Oregon Coast Beach. "Fed Scientists Capture Incredible Wildlife, Landmark Images on N. Oregon Coast". Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
Bibliography
- Gibbs, James A.; ISBN 0-936738-57-X.
- Annual Report. United States. Light-House Board. 1878.
External links
- Tillamook Rock Lighthouse entry at Lighthouse Friends.com
- Tillamook Rock Lighthouse entry in National Park Service inventory of historic lighthouses Archived 2006-08-09 at the Wayback Machine
- Article on Tillamook Rock Lighthouse in Lighthouse Digest Magazine Jul/Aug 2016 containing many keeper photos
- Tillamook Rock Lighthouse Archived 2017-02-11 at the Wayback Machine Documentary produced by Oregon Field Guide