Coquille River Lighthouse --  Circa: 1896 -- Decommissioned 1939

Facts: 40' Tower   •   Focal Plane 47'   •   Visibility: 12 Miles   •  Signal: 28 seconds on, 2 seconds off
Latitude:  43 04.33 N  •   Longitude:  124 25 W
4th Order Lens French Lens by: ????
National Register of Historic Places #74001682    Listed: March 22, 1974

As you drive north of Bandon on Highway 101, look for the sign indicating the turnoff to Bullards Beach State Park and the Coquille River Lighthouse. The lighthouse tucked away in the sand dunes along the Coquille River won’t come into full view until you’re almost at its front door.

To keep you intrigued during your drive out to the lighthouse, look for the cormorants, pelicans, and geese that frequent the Bandon Marsh. It is part of the National Wildlife Refuge System along the Oregon Coast.

The 1896 lighthouse, also known as the Bandon Light, was the last one built along the Oregon Coast. It guided ships until 1939, when the U.S. Coast Guard installed an automated beacon on the south jetty to take over that responsibility. The lens and the fog siren were eventually removed leaving the lighthouse without a means to communicate.

One of the state’s smaller lighthouses, Coquille River Lighthouse’s active life from the first keeper, James Baker, until the last, Oscar Langlois, has as much of a personality and history as the others.

There was the time when the lighthouse was nearly rammed by a vessel. It was in 1904, when the schooner C.A. Klose was attempting to enter the harbor. The conditions were favorable for disaster, with light winds and a very rough bar. The vessel ended up on the rocks in front of the lighthouse. The Tug Triumph eventually pulled it off the rocks. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.

Another more disastrous event took place in September 1936, when a fire swept through Bandon destroying most of the town’s 500 buildings. The lighthouse, on the north side of the river was spared, but the U.S. Life-Saving Station located on the south side was burned to the ground.

1976 saw the beginning of a project to completely restore and renovate the damaged lighthouse from many years of neglect. The lighthouse is currently part of the Bullards Beach State Park and is open for tours. Only the tower with the attached fog signal building, and the foundations of the water tower and oil house remain.

Today, the lighthouse has a solar-powered light that shines towards Bandon, giving the town a reminder of bygone years.

Update October 2007: First round of much needed restoration was completed recently. (Sept 2007) Those traveling through Bandon this winter will have a surprise in store! Layers of stripped paint were analyzed and a layer of red was discovered.  The new paint reflects this early paint layer.  The controversial color may return to the original stucco or "cement" color noted in early documents if proof can be found that red was not the first color.

Now the question begs an answer: In what year was the lighthouse base painted red? Clues are out there... if you have some tidbit of information... please hit that "Contact Us" link and drop a note!  After much research of black and white photographs, some show a significant difference in the base color.  But no real dates on the photos. and no real way to know if the difference in the color was red paint.

Visitor Hours: May through October
May: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., open seven days a week.
June - September: Monday & Tuesday - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday through Sunday - 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
October: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week.

Coquille River (Bandon) Lighthouse is operated by Bullards Beach State Park, Bandon, Oregon

Preservation is funded in part by proceeds from the OPRD Gift Shop Gift Shop