It's a Long Way Up

Yaquina Head's light stands 81 feet 2 inches above the ground and 162 feet above mean sea level, with the top of the tower 10 feet higher still. On America's rugged west coast, lights had to be high enough to be seen far out at sea but low enough to remain visible under the fog. At 162 feet above sea level, Yaquina Head's light can be seen about 19 miles out to sea. Keepers once spent long winter nights sitting 70 feet up in the tower watching the light, even before radio, TV, or electricity. Although the attached building had two rooms that served as the oil room and office, the keepers stood nightly watch in the tower itself. Ships and boats still depend on lighthouses for navigational aid, and equipment in the small attached building keeps a light on if electricity fails, while a battery-powered backup light is fixed to the railing around the lantern deck.

Newport, Oregon · United States