Lighthouses on Washington's Pacific Coast - Part 2 - Destruction Island Lighthouse

There are five lighthouses located on Washington State's Pacific Coast. All of them are in operation, but one - Destruction Island Lighthouse.

A few months ago, my family traveled down Washington State's Pacific Coast with the intent to visit as many lighthouses as possible. The second lighthouse we visited on our trip was Destruction Island Lighthouse. This lighthouse is located three miles off the mainland out in the Pacific Ocean. Scenic view points along Highway 101 allowed us to view this lighthouse from a distance.

Destruction Island Lighthouse

While no information concerning this lighthouse was given at the time we viewed the lighthouse, a little bit of researched revealed the island and lighthouse's histories.

Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra was the first known explorer to reach Destruction Island in 1775. This Spanish explorer named the island the "Isle of Sorrow" because of the massacre several of his men received when they went on land for supplies.

The crew of Captain Charles William Barkley experienced a similar fate in 1787 when they were exploring the coast line and river north of the island. Captain Barkley named the river "Destruction." The name was later switched to the island and the river returned to the original name given by the Indians.

A request for a lighthouse on Destruction Island was made in 1882 by the Lighthouse board. They were eventually granted $85,000 for the building of a first-order light and fog signal. Building started in August of 1888. However, the lighthouse was not built soon enough. On August 10, 1888, the Cassandra Adams, headed from San Francisco to Tacoma, was overcome by dense fog and hit a reef close to the island. The crew was unable to see the island until it was too late. The ship was soon destroyed by the sea.

In November of 1890, the lighthouse was ready for operation. It was typically manned by a head light keeper and two assistants. If the light keepers had families, their families also joined them on the island. In 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard assumed control of all Lighthouse Service lighthouses. The lighthouse was operated by service men for several weeks at a time.
  
In 1963, the U.S. Coast Guard proposed shutting the lighthouse down. Mariners protested against it, however, and the light remained lit. The lighthouse became automated in 1968 and the last light keeper left the island in the early 1970's. The old lens was replace with a solar-powered electronic beacon in 1995. The lens, along with an emergency back up lens, was moved to the Maritime Museum in Westport, WA.

Finally, in April 1998, the U.S Coast Guard turned off the Destruction Island Lighthouse beam. It became the first lighthouse along Washington State's Pacific Coast to not longer be useful for navigational purposes.

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For more information about Destruction Island Lighthouse, visit...
Lighthouse Friends
Maritime Heritage
Life at Destruction Island Lighthouse
History Link

Lighthouses on Washington's Pacific Coast - Part 1 - Cape Flattery

Lighthouses have held a special place in my family's hearts for many years. Whenever we are in the proximity of a lighthouse, we stop and visit. Recently, my family took a vacation to Washington State's Olympic Peninsula. During our time there, we visited five of the lighthouses located on the Pacific Ocean.

We started our journey at the northeastern most point in Washington State - Cape Flattery. The Cape Flattery lighthouse sits on an island about a half mile off the tip of the main land. There is only one road leading on to the cape. My family concluded that visitors to Cape Flattery do not end up there on accident.

All visitors to Cape Flattery Lighthouse must pass through the town of Neah Bay, the last civilization before the Pacific Ocean. One of the first places we spotted as we entered town was the museum. The museum gives visitors a history of the Makah Indian Nation, Cape Flattery's native population, as well as selling locally made items.

The museum also has information on how to view the Cape Flattery Lighthouse. The road to the lighthouse makes several turns. "Follow the yellow line" was the advice we were given, along with a map. Once the road ends, visitors hike the last half a mile to an observation deck.

The path leading to the observation deck begins as a wide, sloping, gravel path. About a quarter of the way to the observation deck, the trail switches to a narrow plank walkway. In some places, the walkway serves as a bridge so visitors do not have to wade through water.

Our first view of the Pacific Ocean came about three quarters of the way to the lighthouse observation deck. A little side deck off the main trail gives visitors the chance to view one of the many coves along Cape Flattery's outer banks. As visitors approach the lighthouse observation deck, more of the rugged coast line becomes visible through the trees.

Pacific Ocean

Cape Flattery Coast

As the coast line comes into view, so does the lighthouse observation deck. The observation deck is raised off the ground approximately ten feet and can be ascended via a steep, narrow staircase.

When visitors reach the top of the stairs, they are greeted by views of Cape Flattery Lighthouse, the Pacific Ocean and Canada. They are also greeted by a trail guide who is there to answer any questions visitors might have about what they see. The trail guide present when my family visited Cape Flattery told us about some of the wildlife that lived in the area, and gave a brief history of the area.

Captain James Cook was the first to name Cape Flattery in 1778. In 1788, Captain John Meares met Chief Tatooche, chief of the Makah Indians, and named the island off Cape Flattery after him. During the 1850's, exploration of the area led to the proposal and monetary allocations for a lighthouse to be built on Tatooche Island. Cape Flattery Lighthouse sent out it's first beam of light on December 28, 1857. A fog horn and weather station were later installed. The lighthouse became fully automated in 1977.

Cape Flattery Lighthouse

The trail guide also told us about another lighthouse approximately 17-20 miles northwest in Canada. Even though it is not visible to Cape Flattery's day time visitors, we were told that it is still in operation.

My family accomplished two goals while we were at Cape Flattery. First, we added another lighthouse to our list, and second, we could say we had been on the northwestern most point Washington State. Not bad for one day. Next stop - Destruction Island Lighthouse.
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More information about the Cape Flattery Lighthouse, visit...
lighthousefriends.com
howstuffworks.com
historylink.org