Last Oregon Lighthouse Being Restored
By Sue Clark on Aug 6, 2007 in Restoration 
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The Coquille River Lighthouse, the last beacon built on the Oregon Coast and an unusual octagon shape, is finally getting some major restoration work, appropriately during Oregon’s Lighthouse Month (August). Coquille Light, built in 1895, has suffered from years of neglect and improper caretaking, and estimates of the full cost of repairing weather damage, vandalism and neglect are running close to $1 million dollars. Currently, the state has budgeted $610,000 dollars for the beginning phase of the work. Because it’s not an active aid to navigation any longer, funding has been hard to get.
Decommissioned in 1939, and replaced with jetty lights and buoys. the light was leased to the state in 1965. The original fourth order Fresnel lens was removed and the tower has a solar powered optic installed in 1991 by the state, which is shielded from the ocean and visible only to the town of Bandon. The lighthouse keeper’s house has been destroyed, and the light is part of Bullard’s Beach state park. The last restoration was done thirty years ago, but it was not historically correct, according to Ben Fisher, park manager for Bullards Beach State Park.
“At the time, we didn’t really have any knowledge of historical restoration,†Fisher explained. “So we sandblasted where we shouldn’t have and replaced the roof like a park ranger knows how.â€
Rackleff Rock, on which the lighthouse sat when it was first built, was in the middle of the Coquille River. It provided a solid foundation, but it also presented some unanticipated problems. Part of the rock extends into the harbor, and when it came time to dredge the harbor, the harbor itself actually had to be blown up to break up enough rock. At one time, the river ran on both sides of the lighthouse, but with the building of the jetty, sand accumulated, and the lighthouse actually became part of the mainland. Waves slash at the base, leaving it cracked, and mold and dampness have caused further issues that need to be addressed. One of the priorities in this round is to rectify that, and the park department has set aside money in its maintenance fund for electricity to finally be brought to the light. Eventually, a replica of the Daboll Trumpet foghorn will be installed.
The Statesman Journal has some nice information on its history in its archives, and www.lighthousefriends.com has some interesting photos and history on its pages.
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