Warning, lighthouse romantics. I’m about to introduce you to the historical lighthouse life that may dent your romantic view of lighthouses, so feel free to turn the page.
Let Chad Kaiser, education director of the 25-year-old U.S. Lighthouse Society at Point No Point Lighthouse in Hansville, tell all.
“People have a romantic perception of lighthouses (and) the life that people lived at lighthouses. But it was a very rough life.
“The keepers’ main duty was to keep the light lit. The light had to be kept extremely clean, the lamp kept very clean or it wouldn’t burn correctly. It was an isolated, monotonous duty for someone with an eye to detail.”
Ah, the romance of isolation, boredom, low pay, canned food and violent storms.
Point No Point, for instance, had no road until the 1920s and no electricity until the 1930s, and then by generator.
“The only way supplies could get here was by ship,” he said. “The Lighthouse Service had a fleet to bring supplies, for a year in some cases. They brought cured meat and canned foods. The keepers were expected to supplement rations with a garden.
“The ultimate goal of lighthouse location was to have one lighthouse in view of mariners at all times … on the most dangerous points at areas that were difficult to see for a mariner, usually near dangerous rocks or shoals.
“Cape Disappointment, marking the entrance to the Columbia River, was the earliest and most significant lighthouse in what is now Washington state. It was the most dangerous to build and clearly needed to be first.”
Construction difficulties included the loss of the ship the Oriole, arriving with building materials and workers. The ship wrecked on the bar in 1853; everything was lost except some members of the crew.
Many lighthouses on the Oregon coast are on spectacular bluffs. Heceta Head is perched on the side of a cliff.
Since automation, only a few keepers are left. Lighthouses now are more nostalgic than an aid to navigation.
Here are a few of the more accessible lighthouses, most open to the public with some, such as Point No Point, offering rentals.
For more information on Washington lighthouses, go to www. walightkeepers.com.
Washington
Admiralty Head (1861, rebuilt 1903): Fort Casey State Park with 18-inch-thick walls protecting against earthquakes; 360-240-5584, www. admiraltyhead.wsu.edu.
Cape Disappointment (1856): Near Ilwaco at one of the most treacherous bars in the world; more than 230 ships been stranded, sunk or burned; 360-642-3078, www.funbeach.com.
Lime Kiln (1914): San Juan Island, last state lighthouse to be served by electricity, popular spot for orca watching; www.visitsanjuans.com.
Mukilteo (1906): Victorian-style lighthouse, 425-513-9602, www.mukilteohistorical.org.
Oregon
Cape Blanco (1870): State’s highest lighthouse above sea level. In 1942 a Japanese plane used the light as a guide to fly inland and drop incendiary bombs in the forests; 541-332-2207, www.portorfordoregon.com.
Heceta Head (1894): Near Florence, still has its original Fresnel lens; 866-547-3696, www. florencechamber.com.
Yaquina Head (first lit 1894): Near Florence, tallest on Oregon’s coast, 114 steps, tours; 541-574-3116, www.yaquinalights.org.
Bird festivals
The Puget Sound Bird Fest in Edmonds will be Sept. 11 to 13, and Swifts Night Out in Monroe is Sept. 12.
The Edmonds festival includes bird walks, field trips, boat cruises, classes, exhibits and children’s activities. See www. pugetsoundbirdfest.org for more information.
Swifts Night Out at Frank Wagner Elementary School starts at 5 p.m. with booths, games and raffle, followed by a talk by Larry Schwitter at 6:30 p.m.
Afterward, watch the Vaux’s swifts circle the school’s chimney, then dive inside to spend the night.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.
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