Coquille River Lighthouse

Another day in the Coos Bay area, we decided to explore a bit further down the outside coast, where the lighthouses are!  And our next stop was the lighthouse at Coquille River!

The Coquille River Lighthouse was first known as Bandon Light, named after the town in which it’s located.  It was commissioned in 1895 and first lit in 1896.  There was a wooden walkway to the light keeper’s cottage, which isn’t standing any longer.  In 1936, a fire wiped out most of Bandon, and bankrupted the town.  The lighthouse was shut down in 1939 and an automated light replaced it.

Before we got to the light, though, we walked along the beach.  Large driftwood pieces were washed ashore all along this section of the beach.  At first, I wondered if this might be an old whale bone, but Jeff quickly set me straight!  Imagine how powerful the waves must have been to wash something this size that far up on the beach!

And, where there’s a beach, there’s Max!!  He got his mouth around a decent sized piece of wood, and he decided to make his Dad chase him!

I was able to get inside the lighthouse and had quite a nostalgic view.  The windows were mist covered, and I just stood there imagining the old light keeper watching the movement of the waves, and maybe even a ship approach.

Isn’t this a great shot of the lighthouse?  Interestingly, renovations were done to the lighthouse in 1976 and 1991.  However, this is the end result of the most recent set of renovations, which were completed in 2011.  I think the end result is really picturesque, and I love the boat in the distance, making its way into the harbor in Bandon.

Enjoy!