Willamette River Light

Willamette River Light stood near Portland, Oregon, at the mouth of the Willamette River where it met the Columbia, helping vessels navigate a difficult channel of fog, narrow water, and shifting islands and sloughs. Authorized in the 1890s and completed in 1895, the octagonal wood-frame station used a fixed red oil light and a mechanically struck bell to guide river traffic. Around 1935 it was electrified and automated, and its dwelling was later moved for use as a watchtower. Abandoned after 1956, the structure burned in 1959. Broken pilings near Kelley Point Park are the main visible remains of this once important aid to commerce.

Portland, Oregon · United States