Point Adams Light was a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

near the mouth of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

on the

Oregon Coast The Oregon Coast is a coastal region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Oregon Coast Range to the east, and stretches approximately from the California state border in the south to the Columbia ...

of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The lighthouse was designed by Paul J. Pelz, who also designed Point Adams's sister stations, Point Fermin Light in San Pedro, California, East Brother Island Light in Richmond, California, Mare Island Light, in Carquinez Strait, California (demolished in the 1930s), Point Hueneme Light in California (replaced in 1940), and Hereford Inlet Light in North Wildwood, New Jersey, all in essentially the same style. It operated from February 15, 1875, until 1899, when it became obsolete by the extension of the south

jetty A jetty is a man-made structure that protrudes from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater (structure), breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French la ...

and the establishment of the Lightship ''Columbia'' in 1892. The lighthouse was considered a fire hazard and demolished in 1912. It was located about a mile south of Point Adams—named by Captain Robert Gray in 179

��near what is now Battery Russell in

Fort Stevens State Park Fort Stevens was an American military installation that guarded the mouth of the Columbia River in the state of Oregon. Built near the end of the American Civil War, it was named for Civil War general and former Washington Territory governor, I ...

. The combination of the Point Adams Light with the

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse The Cape Disappointment Light is a lighthouse on Cape Disappointment near the mouth of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. History In 1848, it was recommended a lighthouse be located at Cape Disappointment in what was then the ...

on the north side of the river effectively framed the entrance to the Columbia. The keeper's quarters and light were a combined structure, similar to the

Yaquina Bay Light The Yaquina Bay Light is a lighthouse that was built in 1871, soon after the founding of the city of Newport, Oregon, in the United States. It is located on the north side of Yaquina Bay. In 1871–1874, it was the busiest and most populated ...

, in Newport, and used the same structure, materials, and optics as Point Fermin Light south of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The light was changed from alternating red and white to fixed red on January 21, 1881, to reduce confusion with the nearby just-completed

Tillamook Rock Light Tillamook Rock Light (known locally as Terrible Tilly or just Tilly) is a deactivated lighthouse on the northern Oregon Coast of the United States. It is located approximately offshore from Tillamook Head, and south of the mouth of the Columbi ...

. The change caused HMS ''Fern Glen'' to run aground, evidently unaware of the change. At the same time, the fog signal was removed: it had long been criticized by mariners as being inaudible over waves crashing on shore. The keeper considered the biggest maintenance problem to be the prevention of sand accumulation at the base of the lighthouse. Fences were unsuccessfully attempted at one point. After decommissioning, the light was replaced by the

Desdemona Sands Light Desdemona Sands Light was a lighthouse located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of Oregon, at the mouth of the Columbia River to aid navigation of the Columbia Bar. It was built in 1901 or 1902 as a replacement for Point Adams Light. The ...

in December 1901. It was finally burned down by the Lighthouse Service in 1912.

References

{{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1875 Lighthouses in Oregon Oregon Coast 1912 fires in the United States Transportation buildings and structures in Clatsop County, Oregon Buildings and structures demolished in 1912

See also

References