The tower of the Cape Blanco Lighthouse has been closed to public tours since 2020, and over the past two years it has been under structural evaluation by preservation experts as to the extent of damage and the various entities involved in managing the lighthouse are deciding what happens next.

In addition to the problems with the tower, the road to our lighthouse is deteriorating rapidly, and if the road is not repaired, people who need to access the lighthouse in order to repair it will not be able to do so.

Our lighthouse is an important part of history. It holds at least four Oregon records:

  • It is the oldest continually operating light in Oregon.
  • It is the most westerly in Oregon.
  • It has the highest focal plane above the sea in Oregon (approx. 250 feet).
  • Oregon’s first woman keeper, Mabel E. Bretherton signed on in March 1903.

It is difficult to imagine our area without the Cape Blanco Lighthouse. It adds a unique character and charm plus attracts visitors from all over the world every year. Every lighthouse is special and has its own story to tell and if we lose one we are losing an important part of our collective history. Are we just going to let it fall into disrepair or let it meet an uncertain fate? It’s time we stepped up to Save Our Lighthouse. We thank everyone who has helped us so far, most notably our 2023 Volunteers who didn’t give up in the face of adversity.

“Save Our Lighthouse” mural detail by artist Darren Evans.
Cape Blanco Lighthouse by Rebecca Malamud-Evans

You can learn more about what is happening out at Cape Blanco by visiting saveourlighthouse.net. The site will be updated by the Cape Blanco Heritage Society with news regarding developments of the situation with the Cape Blanco Lighthouse.

UPDATE (January 2024): This 1967 photograph from the Port Orford News (recently made available online via digitization efforts between the Cape Blanco Heritage Society and the University of Oregon’s ”Oregon Digital Newspaper Program”) shows what can happen to our historic sites when they are no longer considered relevant or feasible to upkeep by the communities they serve. This was the first lighthousekeeper dwelling and not the second built by PJ Lindberg, which ultimately met a similar fate.

Port Orford News, 1967 — ”AFTER STANDING nearly 100 years, this grand old two-family dwelling at the Cape Blanco Lighthouse was demolished for salvage last week by a Coos Bay firm because its useful days were a thing of the past. Originally built in 1870, the same time as the lighthouse, it was constructed of bricks hand-made at the site and had seen many families under its two-story roof. An effort was made last October by the chamber of commerce and other interested groups to preserve the building but the move was apparently decided as not feasible and the Coast Guard put it up for bid after a lengthy waiting period. This view os from the lighthouse light deck”

See Also: Cape Blanco Lighthouse